By Henry Tamburin No other hand makes blackjack players feel queasy than the dreaded 16. Players hate to hit the hand because they are afraid tobust. So many chicken out and stand no matter what the dealer shows. Others opt for the surrender option if it’s available figuring losing half a bet is better then losing it all. If your 16comes as a pair of 8’s most players are reluctant to split if the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace because they are afraid of losing two bets instead of one. Then there is the 16 made up with anAce counted as 11 (i.e., soft 16). So what’s a player to do when he gets a 16?
It’s important to remember that you will only receive one more card, and you cannot hit and then double down in blackjack. Every basic strategy card will advise you to double an 11 unless the dealer is holding an Ace. If the dealer holds an Ace, there is a greater chance of them winning or a push being declared.
Blackjack players should always double down on a hard 9, 10 or even 11 vs. A dealer’s weak upcard (2 through 6). In fact, players who decide to double down on a 9 against a weak card will win 59% of the hands in the long run. Likewise, they will win 48 cents for every dollar wagered on 11 vs.
If you happen to be dealt a soft 16 (like Ace-5), you should never surrender and you should never stand. Your first option is to double but only if the dealer shows a weak 4, 5, or 6 upcard. If not, then hit. Finally, we have a pair of 8’s. The correct basic strategy play is to always split the 8’s no matter what the dealer shows.
First, let’s focus on a hard 16. That’s a hand that does not contain an Ace or if it does the Ace counts as one. Some examples of a hard 16 would be 10-6 or 5-7-4 or 7-8-Ace.
The correct basic playing strategy for hard 16 is to stand when the dealer shows a small card (2 through 6) and hit when the dealer shows a high card (7, 8, 9, 10, or Ace). Following thisplaying strategy will not guarantee that you will win every time but that you are more likely to lose less in the long run. Let me explain.
Suppose you are dealt a 10-6 and the dealer shows a 7 upcard.
Free slots for u. If you stand you will on average win 26% and lose 74%. High noon casino no deposit.
Note that you improve your chances of winning the hand by 4% if you hit rather than stand. But the dealer is still an overwhelming favorite to beat you because he will win 70% of the hands toyour 30%. But is it better to win 26% of the time by standing or 30% of the time by hitting? You should hit because it will increase your chance of winning by 4%, not much, but every percentagewill help you in the long run when you play blackjack.
So the bottom line with a hard 16 is this. Even by following the basic strategy, you will lose more hands than you win but in the long run, you will lose less than following a seat-of-the-pantsstrategy. Losing less on hands where you are the underdog is just as important as winning more when you are the favorite.
What if your 16 consists of three or more cards like 5-7-4? Normally the basic strategy ignores the composition of the hand. However, if you have a hard 16 hand consisting of three or morecards, then you should stand when the dealer has a 10 showing. The reason is that you have consumed a few of the small cards that you need if you were to draw. This tips the odds in favor ofstanding.
Some casinos allow players to surrender. This means you give up the opportunity to play out your hand and automatically lose half your bet. Even when surrender is offered, most players don’tlike “giving up” without a fight. So they rarely surrender. That’s unfortunate because surrendering a hard 16 when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or Ace will save you more money in the long run thanhitting. In fact, surrender is always the best option when your chance of winning a hand is less than 25%. Take the hand of hard 16 against a 10. If we hit our chance of winning is 23.4%. Thismeans the dealer’s chance of beating us is 76.6%. If we played a hundred hard 16’s against the dealer 10 with those probabilities, we would end up winning about $23 and losing $77 for a netloss of $54 on average. By surrendering on every hand our net loss would be $50. Get the point? You are better off losing $50 then $54 which is why surrendering a hard 16 against a 10 is thebetter play because you will save $4.
If you happen to be dealt a soft 16 (like Ace-5), you should never surrender and you should never stand. Your first option is to double but only if the dealer shows a weak 4, 5, or 6 upcard. Ifnot, then hit.
When Should I Double Down In Blackjack For Real
Finally, we have a pair of 8’s. The correct basic strategy play is to always split the 8’s no matter what the dealer shows. Even though you will lose money on both 8’s when you split, thecombined loss, in the long run, will be less than the amount you will lose by playing the one hand as a 16. Splitting 8’s against a dealer 10, by the way, is also a slightly better play thensurrendering.
No question that 16 is a lousy blackjack hand. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most frequent hands you are going to be dealt in blackjack. But, by following the above playing strategy you willbe optimizing your chances of winning more, and losing less, in the long run. It’s the smart way to play blackjack.
Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of the BlackjackInsider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin
While most new blackjack players can quickly grasp the ideas of when to hit or stand, the decision between simply hitting and doubling down can trip up even more experienced players. Doubling down is one of the most powerful tools a player has to even up their odds against the casino, so knowing the appropriate times to double down (and when not to) is critical to any basic blackjack strategy.
When Should I Double Down In Blackjack Games
In most forms of blackjack games, players are allowed to double down with any two card starting hand, and cannot double down once they have three or more cards. To double down, a player places a second bet of equal or lesser value to their original bet, for which they receive just one more card – after which they must stand.
When to Double Down – Hard Hands
When Should I Double Down In Blackjack Real Money
Hard hands – those without an ace that still counts as 11 points – are much simpler to play in general, and this extends to double down play. Here’s a handy and easy-to-memorize guide for when to double down with a hard hand:
Hands of 8 or less: Never double down with these hands. Sure, it’s very tempting to double down with an 8 against a dealer showing a 5 or 6, but you’ll do a little better by simply hitting even in those spots.
Hands of 9: Here, doubling down starts to become a profitable play against the world dealer hands. If they dealer is showing a card in the range of 3-6, doubling down is the right move.
Hands of 10: Now you’ll be doubling down a whole lot against most dealer cards. If the dealer is showing 9 or less, it’s time to double down.
Hands of 11: This is the best starting hand for doubling down. Here, you’ll double down against a dealer that’s showing anything other than an ace.
Hands of 12 or more: Don’t even think about it – doubling down is never the right move with a hard hand of 12 or more.
When to Double Down in Blackjack – Soft Hands
Soft hands are a bit trickier to figure out for most players, and the proper times to double down with them require a little more work to memorize. There are even some minor changes on what you should do depending on what the rules in your game say the dealer must do with a soft 17. Here’s a quick guide:
Soft hands of 13 or 14: Double down only against a dealer 5 or 6; otherwise, simply hitting is the best play.
Soft hands of 15 or 16: Double down against a dealer 4-6; against other hands, just hit.
Soft hands of 17: Double down against a dealer showing anything in the range of 3-6; otherwise, hitting is the thing to do.
Soft hands of 18: Here’s where it gets tricky! If you’re playing in a game where the dealer stands on a soft 17, you should double down if the dealer is showing 3-6, hit if the dealer is showing a 9 or higher, and stand against other hands. Against a dealer who must hit on soft 17, you should essentially do the same – except that you should also double against a 2, rather than standing.
Soft hands of 19 or more: Always stand with these hands, with one exception; against a dealer who hits of soft 17, hit if the dealer is showing a 6.
Why We Double Down in Blackjack
Doubling down naturally puts the player at something of a disadvantage, since you give up the option of making further hits later in the hand. So why do we want to put more money on the line while lowering the odds that we’ll actually win the hand?
Obviously, with most hands, this is a bad deal. However, when the player has a huge advantage against the house, lowering that advantage just slightly can be well worth it if we get to wager twice as much money, since that means our overall edge actually goes up. For example, if you make a $10 bet and have a 9 against a dealer 6, you can expect to make about $1.96 on average when you choose to hit. By doubling down, you can only expect to make about $1.58 on that first $10 – but you’ll also make the same amount on the second $10 you put down, pushing your total profits up to $3.17.