This post is about ten of the most misplayed blackjack hands based on basic blackjack playing strategy. While it has to be noted that these strategies are specific for a 2 deck blackjack game, they can still give you an advantage in a 6 deck game. Anyway, one with the card hands…
Pair of Sevens
While most people will split the sevens the best strategy is to keep them and pretend they are a hard 14. Most the time the dealer will indeed have to reach 16 or more. Then what you should do is take a hit because you have cards 7 or lower and that is a large portion of the deck.
Seven and Ace
While most people will stand on the 18 what you should do is double down. This will give you the best odds against the house and should lead you to win more over a longer period of time.
Two and Ace
If the dealer has five or higher most people will of course take a hit, but this is another one of those hands that you should double down on. This is once again one of those strategies that will win you a lot more over the length of your play, rather than a smaller, quicker hit.
Four and Five
While most people will double down if they have this hand you want to be aware of what the dealer has. If the dealer has a four or less on show you will still want to do what you would normally do, but if they are showing a 7 upwards it is best to hit once and leave it at that with no double.
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Ace and Five
While most people will just take a straight hit, you might want to double up if the dealer has a 4,5 or 6 card on show. Anything less than a 7 means your odds of them going bankrupt are significantly higher.
Pair of Fives
Most people will split this hand and often get delt a pair of rubbish cards that leaves them with little to play, but if you double down you stand a much better chance of winning a much bigger prize. This is especially true if the dealer has 6 or less. While you should always slip your aces and 8’s, 5’s are best off left as a single hand.
A Pair of Fours
When you have a pair of fours against a dealer with 4 or higher you should only hit. But if that dealer has a 5 upwards you should split! While I know it is little more than a pair of fours the odds of you willing against the dealer gets significantly higher.
11
While most people will play it safe and stick with the hit I suggest that you double-down on this number, especially if the dealer has a 10 card on show. You should even risk a double-up if the dealer has an ace on show as it means they don’t have a ten card hiding, otherwise they would have already flipped it over.
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Hard 12
While basic strategy will tell you to simply take a hit and not double up you should consider it if the dealer has just turned a 10. But if you have a 13 you should stay provided the dealer has a 3 or less.
A Pair of Nines
Your instincts might be to stand, especially if the dealer has a 7 or lower and that would be the right play. But if the dealer has 8 or higher you should always slip as this will increase the chances of getting a push or even a winning hand.
While I’ve named quite a few of the commonly misplayed hands it is as always down to odds if any of these strategies win. But why setting for smaller odds when playing these hands well can turn a seemingly no-win situation into a push or winning one.