When to Split, Stand, Hit, or Fold: A Complete Blackjack Strategy Guide

Blackjack is a game of skill. You win by stacking marginal gains because every hand can be either good or bad. Do you hit or stand, surrender or stay, split or double? In Blackjack, these choices cause you to either gain or lose money.

At DealGamble, we spent almost a decade studying the way tables work across hundreds of online platforms. As a result, we now thoroughly understand the math behind the games offered by these casinos. This pattern has been confirmed many times throughout our research.

Winning at blackjack is about following the Basic Strategy. It is a system that guides your moves no matter the combination. Using this strategy, you can bring the house edge down to 0.5%. 

In this article, we have outlined all major steps in Blackjack. Even advanced moves like knowing when to split online blackjack hands have been simplified.

The Foundation: Hit vs. Stand

If you tell the dealer to hit, that means you want another card. If you choose to stand, you are keeping your cards. 

The Dealer’s Hidden Rule

When the dealer has served the players, their own down card is turned up. If the cards add up to 17 or higher, it must stand. If they add up to 16 or lower, they have to keep taking cards until the total is 17 or higher. 

An ace can either be counted as 1 or 11. If they have an ace, they can count it as 11 if it makes the total remain 21 or less. If that makes their total 17 or more, they must stand.

They have to play in a fixed pattern. Meanwhile, the player always has the choice of taking more cards. This means you can calculate and paint a picture of their final hand. This is the foundation of Basic Strategy.

Hard Hands vs. Soft Hands

If a hand does not have an Ace, it is a hard hand. A hard hand is a hand without an Ace, or with an Ace that can only count as 1. 

If a hand has an Ace that can still count as 11, then it is a soft hand.

A soft hand provides you with a safety cushion. You can hit without risking an instant bust.

A Soft 17 (an Ace and a 6) is a hitting hand. While 17 is safe, the Ace gives you freedom and confidence to draw.

A Hard 17 is a standing hand. There is no Ace or cushion.

Common Stand Thresholds

These thresholds exist because when the dealer shows a weak card, it is likely that they bust. A weak card is anything between 2 and 6. 

Your Hand Total	Dealer’s Up-Card	Move
12	4,5, or 6	Stand
13 – 16	2-6	Stand
17 or higher	Any	Stand
12	2 or 3	Hit
13-16	7 or higher	Hit

Be patient and let the dealer keep adding cards until they bust. Don’t even think of risking your hand.

Doubling Down: The Player’s Greatest Weapon

To double down is to raise your bet by doubling it. You will receive an extra card after. If you understand this well, doubling down can become a huge advantage for you. 

The 11 Rule

In a standard deck, there are more 10-value cards than any others. So, double down if your first two cards add up to 11. 

Your next card will probably land you on 21. At the very least, you’ll be close.

Positional Doubling

Also, if the dealer is showing a weak up-card, double down on 9 or 10. 

The dealer is in a vulnerable position, but you aren’t. Bet more money.

A Note for Online Players

Not all blackjack tables online follow the same rules. Some casinos will let you double if your total is 9, 10, or 11. 

When to Split Online Blackjack: The Definitive Guide

When you split, you are basically turning one hand into two. Your second bet is equal in value to your first. Each card is the beginning of a new hand. 

Always Split These Hands:

As we said earlier, Blackjack is all about strategy. Learn it well. 

Aces: Always, I repeat, always split your Aces. An Ace is worth 11. 

This means you are starting two hands from the best position available. Usually, online casinos only let you have one extra card for every Ace that you split. Still, this is a strong move.

Eights: A hand of 16 is the worst blackjack hand. So, if you have 8s, split them. 

A hand of 16 is too high to hit. Unfortunately, it’s also too low to stand without risking a loss. Don’t forget: split your 8s to get two fresh starts.

These rules are straightforward enough. Apply them and watch your game improve. 

Never Split These Hands:

Don’t split these hands. Not even under pressure.

• Tens: Never split 10s. Do you know what wins the most hands in blackjack? A total of 20. Don’t break that up.
• Fives: Never split 5s. Because two 5s add up to 10. And 10 is a strong doubling hand. If you split them, you get two weak hands starting from 5. Rather than split them, double down.

If you follow these rules, you are already doing better than most. 

Situational Splits: Reading the Dealer’s Card

Situational splits are simple as well. These are the times to split online blackjack based on what the dealer is showing.

• 2s and 3s: Split when the dealer shows 4 through 7. If not, hit.
• 7s: Split when the dealer shows 2 through 7. Hit against anything higher.
• 9s: 9s: Split when the dealer shows between 2 and 6, or 8 and 9. Stand when they show 7, 10, or Ace.
• 6s: Split when the dealer shows 3 through 6. Hit otherwise.
• 4s: Only split when the dealer shows a 5 or 6. In most cases, just hit.

Save yourself money by paying attention.

The Art of the Surrender: Knowing When to Fold

We’ve come to the least popular move in blackjack. But sometimes, the smartest move is to give up half your bet. 

Late Surrender vs. Early Surrender

The type of surrender available depends on the platform, and it changes how much edge you have in the game. 

• Splitting means dividing one hand into two separate hands. You place a second wager equal to your original bet, and each card becomes the starting point of a new hand.
• Most online casinos offer Late Surrender. If they have Blackjack, the hand is already over, and surrender is no longer possible.
• Early Surrender means surrendering before the dealer checks. Online casinos rarely offer this option.

Confirm before you sit down. Know which type of surrender your table offers.

When to Surrender

It is not every time you have a bad hand that you should surrender. It only makes sense to surrender when it is clear the math is against you. 

• Hard 15 against a dealer showing 10
• Hard 16 against a dealer showing 9, 10, or Ace

More than 75% of the time, getting these hands means that you are losing. This holds regardless of the strategy you employ. Surrendering at this point means losing half of your bet. But refusing to surrender means you will likely lose it all.

It is difficult to surrender, but you should never follow your feelings in Blackjack. Only the facts.

The Sucker Bet: Why We Avoid Insurance

Imagine this: 

The dealer shows an Ace, and the table offers you insurance as a side bet. It pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. But this isn’t generosity.

Before insurance can break even, the dealer needs to have a 10-value card over one in three times. This can only happen about one in four times. The casino’s odds are worse than the actual probability. That gap is a win for the house.

DealGamble has been studying online casinos for more than eight years. And we haven’t found a lasting winning strategy where the player relied on insurance.

Applying Strategy to Online Play

There are various advantages that playing online gives you. Applying strategy to online play will only further increase your chances. 

RNG Tables vs. Live Dealer Tables

If the online blackjack table is standard, it will use a Random Number Generator. That speed can pressure you into making emotional decisions. Slow down. The table will wait.

Live dealer blackjack, provided by Evolution Gaming, is slower. However, there are time limits per decision. In either scenario, you should study your strategy beforehand. That way, the clock does not rush you.

Your Biggest Online Advantage

In a physical casino, you cannot open a strategy chart. But online, you are allowed access to one. Open a Basic Strategy chart in another tab and refer to it while playing.

Bankroll Management

Splits and doubles need additional bets. If your usual unit is CAD $10, make sure your session bankroll can allow doubling or splitting. You should also be able to do this more than once in a row. Before you start, have at least 20 to 30 units.

Keep all the above in mind when playing online. 

Conclusion: Discipline Over Instinct

Blackjack has been mathematically solved; by following an optimal strategy, you can reduce the house edge to around 0.5%. Split Aces and 8s. Don’t split 10s and 5s. Surrender is sometimes better than losing everything. Don’t take insurance. There are benefits to playing online. Use them. Don’t give the house an edge.

DealGamble has a blackjack section. You’ll find a long list of platforms there. Platforms with fair rules and variations that have been vetted by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

Gamble responsibly. Across Canadian provinces, players must be at least 19 years old. For Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, at least 18.

You can find gambling support services in most Canadian cities. Visit the Responsible Gambling Council at responsiblegambling.org for more resources.