If the dealer does have 21, the player will lose the initial bet but will receive a 1:1 payout on their insurance amount, and so they will receive that same amount back. If both have 21, most blackjack rules say that is a push. Some casino 21 rules, though, give ties to the dealer when it comes to a blackjack. Slots magic casino bonus codes. In most casinos, the dealer is required to hit on hands worth less than 17 points, regardless of the cards that make up their hand. Hands worth 17 points, however, can't be hit on. If you're playing as the dealer and your hand is worth 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 points, you can't hit any further and need to stand with whatever hand you've got.
Basic Strategy
When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Games
Playing a basic strategy in blackjack requires no card counting, although it does require some memorization. A basic strategy involves:
- looking at the cards you hold
- looking at the dealer's face-up card
- determining the odds that either you or the dealer will bust
Before we get into the details of a basic strategy, it's important that we know the odds. Blackjack, like all casino games, is set up so that the house has an advantage. If you were to play exactly like the dealer (stand on 17 or higher, hit on 16 or less), it stands to reason that there would be no house advantage. Both you and the dealer would win an equal number of times. However, the dealer plays after the players, which means that when you and the dealer both bust, you still lose. Taking into account the payout bonus for getting a blackjack, it works out to roughly a 5.5 percent house advantage. That means that if you were to play blackjack for a very long time (eight hours a day for several years), you would end up losing about 5.5 percent of your money.
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So how does a basic strategy work? Entire books have been devoted to the subject, but all basic strategies revolve around the fact that there are more cards worth 10 in the deck than any other value -- 16 out of 52 cards are worth 10.
Knowing this, a basic-strategy player assumes that the dealer's second card will be worth 10, even though many times it isn't. Based on the dealer's 'up card' (the card the players know the value of), the dealer's hand can be placed into two categories:
- hands that are likely to bust the dealer
- hands that are likely to give the dealer a good hand
If the dealer is showing a Two, Three, Four, Five, or Six, he is more likely to bust. The Five and the Six are the cards most likely to lead to a busted hand for the dealer. In this case, the player doesn't have to take big risks to try to get closer to 21 -- he simply needs to avoid busting himself.
If the dealer is showing a Seven or anything higher, there is a significant chance he will make a good hand of 18, 19, 20, or 21. If the player has a hand with a lower value than 18, he might want to be more aggressive and take another card, risking a bust to try to get a better hand.
So, getting more specific, here are four easy rules on when to hit and when to stand:
- If your hand is 11 or less, always hit. You can't possibly bust, so the extra card will only help your hand.
- If your hand is 17 or greater, and the dealer is not showing a Seven or higher, always stand. The risk of busting if you hit is very high.
- If your hand is 12 to 16, and the dealer is showing an up card likely to bust (see illustration above), always stand. Although this is a weak hand, it will still win if the dealer busts. Exception - If the dealer has a Two or a Three showing, hit if you have 12.
- If your hand is 12 to 16, and the dealer has a Seven or higher showing, always hit. The dealer is far more likely to get a better hand than yours unless you can improve it. There's a risk of busting, but in this case you have to take that risk.
Exception: If you're holding a soft Ace, you can be more aggressive than these rules indicate. You might even hit on a 17, depending on what the dealer is holding.
When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Winnings
Although basic blackjack strategies can get infinitely more complex, those four rules are the core of most of the strategies in use today.
If you're wondering what card counting is, and if you're even allowed to do it, we'll explain it all in the next section.
When you play blackjack, you have some incomplete information to base your playing decisions on. You know the value of your two cards and you know the value of the dealer's up card. You don't know what the dealer's hole card is and you don't know what the next card out of the shoe will be. However, if you use basic strategy when you play, you can make an accurate decision based on just the information that you do know.
Basic Strategy
Basic blackjack strategy is based on the mathematics of the game. It has been tested and refined through computer simulations. When it is followed correctly, it reduces the house edge to the minimum, which is usually about one-half of a percent. When you use basic strategy, you make your decision to hit, stand, or double down based on your two cards and the dealer's up card. Many players wonder what percentage of time will the dealer bust based on their up card. (Whenever your hand or the dealer's hand goes over the total of 21, it is called a bust.)
The dealer will bust more often with certain up cards than with others. Take a look at the chart below. You will see that the worst cards for the dealer are the 5 and 6, followed closely by the 4. When the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6, they have a 42 percent chance of busting and a 40 percent chance when they have a 4 showing. This is why you double down more often when the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6.
The cards where the dealer is least likely to bust are the Ace, 10, and 9. When the dealer has one of these cards showing, they also have another advantage since the player has to act first. According to basic strategy, a player with a hand of less than 17 will need to take a hit when the dealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, 10, or ace. If the player busts, he loses the hand even if the dealer also busts, so the percentage of times the house will win is greater than just the bust percentage shown in the chart.
Play Correctly
You will make more money when the dealer is showing a card that will allow you to double down, however, you must follow the rules of basic strategy. Many novice players will double down with a hand of 7 or 8 against a dealer showing an up card of 5 or 6. This is not correct and even though the dealer will bust 42 percent of the time, you will lose more money if you don't play according to basic strategy.
Knowing the dealer's bust percentage is useful information but it should just be used to confirm the decisions you make when you play basic strategy. If you are unsure of the correct plays, you should memorize the basic strategy chart or bring one to the table with you. This way, you will be playing blackjack with the lowest house edge possible.
- When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Games
- When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Winnings
If the dealer does have 21, the player will lose the initial bet but will receive a 1:1 payout on their insurance amount, and so they will receive that same amount back. If both have 21, most blackjack rules say that is a push. Some casino 21 rules, though, give ties to the dealer when it comes to a blackjack. Slots magic casino bonus codes. In most casinos, the dealer is required to hit on hands worth less than 17 points, regardless of the cards that make up their hand. Hands worth 17 points, however, can't be hit on. If you're playing as the dealer and your hand is worth 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 points, you can't hit any further and need to stand with whatever hand you've got.
Basic Strategy
When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Games
Playing a basic strategy in blackjack requires no card counting, although it does require some memorization. A basic strategy involves:
- looking at the cards you hold
- looking at the dealer's face-up card
- determining the odds that either you or the dealer will bust
Before we get into the details of a basic strategy, it's important that we know the odds. Blackjack, like all casino games, is set up so that the house has an advantage. If you were to play exactly like the dealer (stand on 17 or higher, hit on 16 or less), it stands to reason that there would be no house advantage. Both you and the dealer would win an equal number of times. However, the dealer plays after the players, which means that when you and the dealer both bust, you still lose. Taking into account the payout bonus for getting a blackjack, it works out to roughly a 5.5 percent house advantage. That means that if you were to play blackjack for a very long time (eight hours a day for several years), you would end up losing about 5.5 percent of your money.
Advertisement
Advertisement
So how does a basic strategy work? Entire books have been devoted to the subject, but all basic strategies revolve around the fact that there are more cards worth 10 in the deck than any other value -- 16 out of 52 cards are worth 10.
Knowing this, a basic-strategy player assumes that the dealer's second card will be worth 10, even though many times it isn't. Based on the dealer's 'up card' (the card the players know the value of), the dealer's hand can be placed into two categories:
- hands that are likely to bust the dealer
- hands that are likely to give the dealer a good hand
If the dealer is showing a Two, Three, Four, Five, or Six, he is more likely to bust. The Five and the Six are the cards most likely to lead to a busted hand for the dealer. In this case, the player doesn't have to take big risks to try to get closer to 21 -- he simply needs to avoid busting himself.
If the dealer is showing a Seven or anything higher, there is a significant chance he will make a good hand of 18, 19, 20, or 21. If the player has a hand with a lower value than 18, he might want to be more aggressive and take another card, risking a bust to try to get a better hand.
So, getting more specific, here are four easy rules on when to hit and when to stand:
- If your hand is 11 or less, always hit. You can't possibly bust, so the extra card will only help your hand.
- If your hand is 17 or greater, and the dealer is not showing a Seven or higher, always stand. The risk of busting if you hit is very high.
- If your hand is 12 to 16, and the dealer is showing an up card likely to bust (see illustration above), always stand. Although this is a weak hand, it will still win if the dealer busts. Exception - If the dealer has a Two or a Three showing, hit if you have 12.
- If your hand is 12 to 16, and the dealer has a Seven or higher showing, always hit. The dealer is far more likely to get a better hand than yours unless you can improve it. There's a risk of busting, but in this case you have to take that risk.
Exception: If you're holding a soft Ace, you can be more aggressive than these rules indicate. You might even hit on a 17, depending on what the dealer is holding.
When Does The Dealer Stop Hitting In Blackjack Winnings
Although basic blackjack strategies can get infinitely more complex, those four rules are the core of most of the strategies in use today.
If you're wondering what card counting is, and if you're even allowed to do it, we'll explain it all in the next section.
When you play blackjack, you have some incomplete information to base your playing decisions on. You know the value of your two cards and you know the value of the dealer's up card. You don't know what the dealer's hole card is and you don't know what the next card out of the shoe will be. However, if you use basic strategy when you play, you can make an accurate decision based on just the information that you do know.
Basic Strategy
Basic blackjack strategy is based on the mathematics of the game. It has been tested and refined through computer simulations. When it is followed correctly, it reduces the house edge to the minimum, which is usually about one-half of a percent. When you use basic strategy, you make your decision to hit, stand, or double down based on your two cards and the dealer's up card. Many players wonder what percentage of time will the dealer bust based on their up card. (Whenever your hand or the dealer's hand goes over the total of 21, it is called a bust.)
The dealer will bust more often with certain up cards than with others. Take a look at the chart below. You will see that the worst cards for the dealer are the 5 and 6, followed closely by the 4. When the dealer is showing a 5 or a 6, they have a 42 percent chance of busting and a 40 percent chance when they have a 4 showing. This is why you double down more often when the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6.
The cards where the dealer is least likely to bust are the Ace, 10, and 9. When the dealer has one of these cards showing, they also have another advantage since the player has to act first. According to basic strategy, a player with a hand of less than 17 will need to take a hit when the dealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, 10, or ace. If the player busts, he loses the hand even if the dealer also busts, so the percentage of times the house will win is greater than just the bust percentage shown in the chart.
Play Correctly
You will make more money when the dealer is showing a card that will allow you to double down, however, you must follow the rules of basic strategy. Many novice players will double down with a hand of 7 or 8 against a dealer showing an up card of 5 or 6. This is not correct and even though the dealer will bust 42 percent of the time, you will lose more money if you don't play according to basic strategy.
Knowing the dealer's bust percentage is useful information but it should just be used to confirm the decisions you make when you play basic strategy. If you are unsure of the correct plays, you should memorize the basic strategy chart or bring one to the table with you. This way, you will be playing blackjack with the lowest house edge possible.
Blackjack Dealer Bust Percentages
