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Dr. Henry Tamburin is the author of the best-selling Blackjack:
Take the Money & Run and publisher of the Blackjack Insider Newsletter.
You are sitting at a blackjack table and the dealer gives you a 2-5 and his face card is a 6. You hit and draw an ace. This gives you a soft 18 (2-5-Ace). You can't double down because you've already drawn a third card. So how would you play the hand?
This is just one of several blackjack plays that always cause player fits. No need to panic. Read on and learn how to play these and other tough blackjack hands like a pro.
Three-Card Soft Hands
If you have a three-card soft hand and can’t double down here’s how to play it. If you have a soft 13 through a soft 17 hand, always hit no matter what the dealer shows. If you stand instead on these soft hands, you will be making a big mistake that will cost you money. If you hold a soft 18 and you can’t double down, then you should stand if the dealer’s face card is 8 or lower and hit if it’s 9, 10, or an ace. Always stand on soft 19 and soft 20 no matter what the dealer shows.
Pair of 8's vs. Dealer Ten
Most players cringe when they are dealt a pair of 8's against the dealer's 10 face card. Their “feelings” tell them they should not split because a pair of 8's against a 10 is a losing hand. They figure, “why put out more money by splitting and risk losing twice as much?”
The books say to always split 8's even against a dealer's ten face card. Yes you will still have a losing hand when you split, but in the long run you will lose less money vs. hitting or standing on the pair of 8's.
The reality of the situation is that being dealt a 16 against a dealer's 10 is the worst possible hand you could get in blackjack. You will lose money with that 16 but when the 16 is a pair of 8's you have a chance to lose about 50% less money over the long haul when you exercise the option to split the 8's. You won't be turning a losing 16 hand into a winner. Rather, over time you will be cutting your losses and saving some money by splitting 8's against the dealer 10.
Insuring a Blackjack Hand
This is a real tough play for most blackjack players. You finally are dealt a blackjack hand and would you believe it, the dealer's face card is an ace. In this situation, the casinos make you a can't lose proposition. They'll give you an even money payoff right on the spot, even before the dealer checks his hole card to see if he has a blackjack hand. Who can resist winning even money? After all, a bird in the hand is worth more then two in a bush. But if you check the facts of insuring or taking even money on your blackjack hand when the dealer shows an ace here's the score. Yes you'll get paid 1 to 1 every time you take even money but in the long run you'll average a 1.04 to 1 payoff when you pass up the even money proposition. Why is this? Because the dealer most of the times will not have a ten or picture card in the hole (and you'll be paid 3 to 2 for the blackjack) vs. the times he does have a ten or picture card (this is a push). If you average out the number of times you push vs. get paid 3 to 2, the math shows an average payout of 1.04 to 1 which is greater then the even money (or 1 to 1 ) payoff you'll get when you take even money. Bottom line - you'll win more money in the long haul when you never insure or take even money on your blackjack hands.
Doubling For Less
I see this play being made far too often by blackjack players. A player is on a roll and starts increasing his bets. He places a bigger then normal bet, say $20, and the dealer gives him an obvious double down play. He starts to sweat thinking about having to put out another $20 to double down. Maybe he should not double down but he knows that’s against what all the books say. So instead he compromises and doubles down for $10 which is less then the initial $20 bet.
When the books say to double down there is a reason. It's because your expectation to win money on the hand is greater when you double vs. when you hit. That's why the books say to double down. But when a player doubles for less, he essentially gives up some of his potential profit. In essence you are not taking complete advantage of a favorable situation. That is not a smart way to play blackjack. Never double down for less.
Soft 18 against Dealer's 9
If the local casino called you up one day and said: "listen, come play blackjack in our casino and we'll give you an automatic 18 on every hand", would you take the offer? Most players would, but guess what? Over a long period of time you will end up a loser with that 18.
But with a soft 18 you have the option of improving your 18 hand by hitting. Not every time but enough times that over the long haul you'll win about 45% of the hands when you hit. If you stand, you’ll only win 40% of the hands. The better play therefore, is to hit when you are dealt a soft 18 and the dealer shows a 9.
Pair of 9's Against a Dealer's 9 Face Card
This one fools a lot of players. It seems like standing on the 18 (9-9) is the right thing to do against a dealer 9 face card rather than split and have a 9 against a dealer’s 9. But it turns out that if you stand you will lose 18% of your bets and if you split 12% of your bets. Both plays are losers but you’ll lose less by splitting. Therefore the better play is to split 9’s when the dealer shows a 9 face card.
To be sure there are several other tricky blackjack hands that often confuse players and I’ll cover them in a future article. For now, follow the advice in this article and you’ll take a big step in becoming a better blackjack player.
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