Blackjack strategy I – basic strategy
September 29th, 2008Blackjack is an example of one such casino gambling game where players can minimize house advantage and maximize their gains if they play it with optimal tactics and make judicious use of the choices of action open to them. The basic strategy of blackjack refers to that set of optimal tactics that a player can use to his benefit. However, the basic strategy may differ according to the number of card decks employed in play and also whether the casino house has any specific rules and regulations above and beyond the normal stipulations of the game. Also, the basic strategy needs to be modified accordingly if one is not playing the regular version, but a variant of the game.
The basic strategy of a traditional blackjack game can be best explained by an illustration with certain parameters. So if a game of blackjack is in progress where the game table has three or more card decks in use, the dealer is required to stand and lock his hand value when his total is a soft 17, doubling down is permitted on any two cards, the double after split rule is allowed, the dealer is permitted to view his hole card without revealing it to any other participating player in order to check if he has a blackjack hand, and the payout for a blackjack or natural is 3-to-2.
If all these parameters are fulfilled, then the basic strategy that a player can optimally follow to emerge as a winner in the long run and make sizeable profits from this gambling game is essentially three-fold. Depending on whether the player’s hand strength has an aggregate of a hard total or a soft total and whether the player holds a pair as his two initial cards, the basic strategy needs to be adapted accordingly.

