Boosting Your Blackjack Results With Simple Adjustments

Blackjack is one of those games where a small change in strategy can spell big changes for your overall payout rate. If you’re the type of player who is never satisfied with how good you’re playing until you’re playing perfectly 100 percent of the time, then blackjack can be a very fun game to get into because there’s a lot to learn. However, if you don’t really have the time for all of that and just want to learn how to take low-hanging fruit that will give you big gains to your overall payout rate, then we have some simple adjustments you can make to help.

One of the easiest adjustments that most recreational players can make that will make a huge difference in their bottom line is to stop surrendering so much. A lot of people will surrender in any type of situation that seems difficult, and as a result, they end up using this option entirely too much. The only time you should always surrender is if you have a hard 16 against a dealer showing a ten or an ace. There may be one or two other scenarios where you can surrender depending on the specific rules of the game you’re playing, but that is an absolute maximum in the vast majority of cases.

Another adjustment you can make is to stop hitting so much when you have a hard total of 12 or higher and you’re facing a weak dealer card of six and below. You should actually be standing almost always (as in 99 percent of the time or more) when you’re faced with these types of scenarios. The reason for this is that the dealer busts a lot of the time when they have a six or lower, and you don’t want to bust out yourself before giving them a chance to do so.

Finally we have another simple adjustment that many players can benefit from. It has to do with knowing when to double if you have a hard hand. With a total of 10 or 11, you’ll double as long as your total is higher than the dealer’s card (counting an ace as 11). With a total of 9, you’ll only double if you have a six or lower, and with a total of 8, you’ll only double when facing exactly a six. Follow these guidelines to handle these situations correctly.