Jackpot Capital online casino carries many variations of blackjack. Here we would like to explain the most counter-intuitive hands, why gamers so often get them wrong, and how to get them right.
Blackjack is Great Fun for Gamers Who Like a Challenge
Slots are great fun because they are so entertaining. Banana Jones is also great fun for the same reason. Here at Jackpot Capital, we say that playing a game of skill such as blackjack is also great fun! Blackjack is fun because it requires decisions and there are a few decisions in blackjack that are not so easy to come by.
Fun is the best reason to play online casino games!
The Key to Blackjack: The Player Always Goes First
This is by far the stickiest aspect of blackjack from the player’s point of view. All players try to avoid busting. This leads to many players misplaying a very common hand for the player: when you have a low point count but it is high enough that you could bust if you draw even one card.
Call it a Hand with 12 Points
A lot of blackjack players who love the game will always stand with 12 or more points no matter what the dealer has showing. This may be the most commonly misplayed hand in blackjack.
If you have 12 points and the dealer is showing a 7 through an ace, statistical analysis has shown that you have to hit. Your chances of losing by standing are so great that you have to hit.
What if the dealer also has 12 points? We looked at a simple blackjack strategy card which codifies the statistical analysis of millions of hands (computers, of course) and we find that if the player has 12 points, you should stand only if the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6.
The bottom line is that if you have 12 points, you should USUALLY HIT!
What if You Have 13 Points?
The best strategy in this case is to stand unless the dealer is showing a 7 through an ace! You can see how statistical analysis has determined that with 12 points, you should usually hit and with 13 through 16 points, you should stand if the dealer has a low card and hit if the dealer has a 7 through an ace.
So, a player’s hand with 12 points is by far the most misplayed hand of all.
Players Misplay Soft Hands
Soft hands are great for infielders in baseball and for receivers in football. In blackjack, a soft hand is a hand with an ace in which you can’t bust on the next card.
Another important fact here is that 17 and 18 points are not really good hands for the player. The most misplayed hand is a soft 18. This is because players misvalue a hand with 18 points.
With 17 points in a hard hand, the player always stands so, it is obvious that with a hard 18, you always stand. But in a soft hand, even a soft 18, the player should hit if the dealer is showing a 7 through an ace and should DOUBLE! if the dealer has a 2 through 6!
The expected return to player rate of about 99.5% includes players doubling with soft 18 and the dealer showing 2 through 6!
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Soft 17 Has Special Features
First, statistical analysis has shown that the player should ALWAYS HIT with soft 17. The one dealer card that is most counter-intuitive to hitting is the 7. Statistics show that you are probably going to lose with soft 17 but you will lose a lot less often if you hit soft 17 against a dealer 7.
The bottom line is that playing for a tie is not a good way to play blackjack!
Let’s Go All the Way: What about Soft 19?
You stand with soft 19 as 19 points is a lot better than 18 or 17 points and it is hard to improve a hand of 19 points. However, if the dealer is showing a 6, the correct play is to double. You will probably stand after you get the second cards for the split hands and the dealer has very good chances to bust.
Keep in mind, however, that doubling with a soft 19 against a 5 is not the best move! See how learning the statistics of blackjack hands contributes to a player’s approaching the break-even point in blackjack.
Surrender is a Mistake
You are given the choice to surrender if the dealer is showing an ace. A lot of players take the surrender option. It is almost impossible to win almost all of your money back (the 99.5% return to player rate) if you accept surrender. Simply accept that statistics show that surrender is a poor decision and never make it.
Standing with 16 Points
You should stand with 16 points unless the dealer is showing a 7 through an ace. Statistically, standing against a dealer 7 when you have 16 points is close but the advantage is on your side. With all other dealer cards above the 7, your chances of losing are the same but the dealer’s chances of winning if you stand go way up. So hit with 16 points against a 7 through an ace.
Splitting Confuses Some Gamers
Gamers generally think about splitting aces, 8’s, and 9’s. they don’t consider splitting 2’s, 3’s and so on. Even with these lowly pairs, you are better off splitting sometimes instead of just hitting. The dealer also gets intermediate cards that she doesn’t “like”.
The return to player rate in blackjack is so high because the game presents problems for the house as well as for the players. And, the house cannot make choices; it is bound by the rules to hit in certain cases and to stand in certain cases.
Never Play in a 6-5 Blackjack Game
This is not technically a misplayed hand; instead, we might call it an hour or longer of misplayed hands! Here at Jackpot Capital, we pay 3-2 for a blackjack. A lot of land-based casinos pay only 6-5.
This doesn’t look like much but it is! 3-2 is the same as 6-4. 6-5 means that the gamer has to “contribute” a coin to the house on every blackjack. In other words, the house takes a coin away from the gamer for every blackjack he or she gets!
Blackjack is a Subtly Difficult Game
That is why so many gamers like it. They like being so close to the house on so many hands. Gamers like going on winning streaks that put a substantial amount of winnings in their account.
Jackpot Capital Offers a Range of Blackjack Options
Since we are an online casino with no space restrictions, we can offer a number of blackjack variations. Jackpot Capital has about 300 great games that you can play over time. You will feel free to “roam” about the casino sampling this game or that game because Jackpot Capital is open all the time and you never have to “travel” to reach us!
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