Blackjack Strategy

Blackjack

Blackjack players face the house, not each other. Psychology and game theory do not come into play with blackjack unlike poker; instead it is all about mathematics. Computer simulations have been run to determine the optimal strategy to use in blackjack, and this is commonly referred to as Basic Strategy.

The Basic Strategy chart for a single deck game is slightly different than the Basic Strategy chart for a multi-deck game. A good blackjack player knows the Basic Strategy charts like the back of his hand. It is not enough to casually memorize the Basic Strategy charts. One needs to know the charts backwards and forwards so that the right decision is made even when there are distractions. The best decision should be made automatically. If a player does not follow Basic Strategy, he is hurting his own chances of winning in the long term. The laws of probability cannot be ignored. Blackjack, when played perfectly, only offers a very slight advantage to the house. These house advantages only increase with any slight deviations from Basic Strategy.