Simple Hit or Stand Blackjack Strategy

You'll be doing a lot of hit or stand decisions in blackjack. Since this also becomes crucial in a game, this should become a matter of concern. A good tool for a hit or stand strategy will be knowing the bust percentages for each total you might get. You should also become familiar with stiff hands and pat hands in blackjack.

Any hit or stand strategy will still be based in blackjack basic strategy. This means that every player should still work toward mastering blackjack basic strategy. There simply is no substitute for learning this very important aspect of blackjack if you really want to make serious cash in this game. The primary advantage of basic strategy is being able to lower the house edge from as high as 8% to as low as 5%.

The percentage values for a casino's house edge is affected by the rules implemented for each specific table. Some rules make the house edge go up (i.e. favorable for the casino) and some rules make the house edge go down (i.e. favorable for players). For example, blackjack being paid six to five raises the house edge by 1.4%, which makes this rule unfavorable for players. You wouldn't want to play in a blackjack table with this rule in place.

A hit or stand strategy requires you to understand bust percentages. Particularly when dealing with stiff hands and pat hands. A stiff hand is any hand that has a total from 12 to 16. These hands in particular can be busted if you hit. If your hand totals to 17 or even better, then you have what is called a pat hand, which basically is a signal for you to stand.

Of course, it is obvious that a total of 12 is harder to bust in a hit or stand strategy, which means a total of 12 is a bit safer compared to other stiffs. A total of 12 has a bust percentage of 31 percent. As your total goes up the bust percentage goes up as well. You already are passed the 50% margin if your total goes beyond a total of 13. Getting a total of 16 (a stiff hand) already has a bust percentage of 62%. You should consider this when thinking about your hit or stand strategy in blackjack.

To make things really simple without all the math here's a simple rule for a hit or stand strategy in blackjack. If you have a stiff and the dealer also has a stiff (i.e. dealer's up card is from two to six) you should stand. However, if you have a stiff and the dealer has a pat hand (i.e. dealer's up card is a seven to Ace) you should hit.

After being familiar with this simple hit or stand strategy you should add the rest of the moves in a blackjack basic strategy chart.