This guide is up to disclose the essence of hit & stand solutions in Blackjack. These are the basic moves in this casino game. In the article below, we will point out situations that are the best for hitting or standing in the game without the need to learn any card counting tactics.

• ALSO READ: Blackjack Strategy & Card Counting Guide

What is Hit in Blackjack?

When playing blackjack with a hard hand, we would recommend the following: When you are dealt a total of 5-8, always hit. When you are dealt 9, hit if the dealer shows a 2 or a 7 through ace. If you have 10, hit if the dealer shows an ace or a 10. If your hand is 11, hit only if the dealer shows an ace. Blackjack usually means you win 1.5 the amount of your bet. Depends on the casino. Dealer will hit until his/her cards total 17 or higher. Doubling is like a hit, only the bet is.

Hit is a decision in Blackjack that considers taking an additional card. If you choose this move, one more card will be added to your hand. You can hit until the value of your hand reaches or exceeds 21, as many times as you want, during the match.

For example, you have a 5 and a 6 in your initial hand. That means the value of your hand makes 11. There is no chance you will get busted if you hit, and you shouldn’t stand because 11 is obviously not enough to win the match.

Thus, if you hit and get 3, the value of your hand will be 14. The best decision here would be to hit again, as the majority of dealers stand on soft 17, so you are likely to lose if you stand. You can hit until you get 21 or get busted, and the best solution depends on the value of your hand and the value of the dealer’s hand. Below, we will explain the best situations to hit.

When to Hit in Blackjack?

There are situations when hitting in Blackjack will always be a better idea than choosing any other option. The tips on hitting below are based on the mathematical calculations of probabilities and can be used both by novice and advanced players. Here, we do not consider options like splitting or doubling down:

• Hit if your initial hand’s value makes 4-11 – the thing about an 11 maximum hand value is you have no other options, except taking one more card. The thing is, here you are 100% safe from getting busted and can get a good combination after one or more hits.

• If you get hard 12, hit on the dealer’s 2, 3, 7-Ace upcard – based on the mathematical calculations, you will have a better chance to get a good combination with this strategy, as the only way you can get busted is if you get 10.

• For 13-16, hit if the dealer has 7-Ace – the higher is the dealer upcard value, the more there are chances that your initial hand value is not enough to win.

When You Should Not Hit in BJ?

Here you can see the situations when you should avoid hitting:

• Do not hit if your initial hand value makes a hard 17-20 – this is already a good hand, which gives you high chances to win. On the other hand, hitting with 17 or higher will give you a high chance of getting busted.

• Never hit with soft 19 or soft 20 as well – there is an extremely low chance you will get a better combination in this game, and if dealer plays on a soft 17, you are already in a strong position.

• If you get soft 18, do not hit if the dealer has a 2, 7, or 8 upcard – a soft 18 is good enough to give you a chance to win already.

What is Stand in Blackjack

Stand is a decision in Blackjack that considers not taking any more cards in your hand. You choose to stand when you think you have the best value for your hand in the round. After you and the dealer stand, the value of both hands is calculated, and the winner is determined.

For example, when your initial hand makes 10-9, you are likely to stand instead of taking more cards. However, it also depends on the dealer’s hand, which can make 10-10, meaning that you will lose 100% if you stand. Below we will disclose when to stand or not to stand in detail.

When to Stand in Blackjack?

Stand is one of the most important decisions in Blackjack, as you need to choose whether to risk-taking another card to improve your hand or stop at this spot and count on the dealer having a weaker hand. Here are some situations when you should definitely stand in Blackjack:

• If you have a hard 17-20, always stand – most dealers play soft 17, which means they stop hitting when they get as much as an Ace and a 6, so it is likely that you will win the match if you stand. On the other hand, if you have hard 17, you need 4 or less to improve your combination and not bust, and with hard 20, you need only an Ace to stay alive. It is obvious that the chances for this are rather low.
• Also, always stand if you have soft 20 or soft 19 – there are more chances that you will make your hand weaker than improving it. The thing is that in order to improve soft 19 (A, 8), you need another Ace or 10 on the next hit, and the chances of this happening are low. If you take two hits, the chance of getting more than 19 is low as well.
• When getting 13-16 with the dealer’s 2-6 you better stand. The thing is that in this situation, the dealer has to have a high-value second card to beat your hand. For example, if you have 16, and the dealer has 6, he has to have 10 or an Ace to equal or beat your hand. Even if the second card is of low value like a 2 or 3, you still have more chances to win.

When you should not stand in Blackjack?

There are also situations when standing will always be a bad idea:

• If you have 4-11, there is no chance standing would be a good idea. The thing is that if you hit in this situation, you only have chances to improve your hand, and you are safe from getting more than 21.
• Never stand if you have soft 12-16 – standing on this position would be a bad idea as most of the dealers play till soft 17, and even soft 16 can sometimes not be enough to win the match. It would be much better to hit in this situation, with high chances of improving your hand.

Hit & Stand Chart

Hit Or Stand Blackjack Practice

This is one of the basic strategy charts, which is absolutely essential to beat the house edge when you play blackjack.

Hit & Stand Ultimate FAQ

This FAQ is composed of the most popular questions on hit & stand decisions in Blackjack.

Do you hit on a 12 in blackjack?

Should I hit or stand on 16?

How many times can you hit in blackjack?

Does the dealer hit on soft 17?

When To Hit Or Stay In Blackjack Games

Hit Or Stand Blackjack

Other Blackjack Strategies

Along with the hit & stand solutions, there are also other, more advanced moves you can use to your benefit. You can choose among double down, split or surrender as well. Of course, you can limit your decisions with hit & stand, and still exploiting other moves in the right way will increase your chances to win when you use long-term strategies.

When To Stand In Blackjack

Double Down

Double down is a solution that allows you to increase your initial bet up to 100% (depending on Blackjack game rules), and add one more card to your hand. This is a good decision when you have a strong hand against the dealer’s weak one. It allows you to increase your winnings up to 2 times. The only shortcoming of this decision – you cannot hit after you double down.

Split

Split is a decision that allows you to turn one hand into two hands and play each hand separately. Splitting is allowed when you get pairs in your initial hand (5-5, 6-6, etc.).

Depending on the Blackjack game you play, you can split more than once during the game, split Aces, etc. This is a good move in some situations. To use this move to your benefit, you should consider the dealer’s hand as well.

Surrender

Surrender is a decision that allows you to save 50% of your bet. It considers that you can stop the game if you have a weak hand against the dealer’s strong hand. This decision can be valuable if you want to cut your losses. It depends on the BJ game rules, whether it is possible to make the surrender move.

Hardcore Blackjack players are ridiculously serious about the game. For some, playing by the rules and losing a hand is better than breaking the rules and winning. That’s because Blackjack is all about odds, and by breaking the hit or stand rules, you could seriously disrupt the balance of the Blackjack table.

The goal of Blackjack

Before understanding when to hit or stand in Blackjack, you need to understand the game. The goal of Blackjack is simple—beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. Both you and the dealer are dealt two cards each. However, while yours are face-up, only one of the dealer’s cards is visible. The dealer has to hit on 16 or less, and stand on 17 (standing on a soft-17 varies from casino to casino).

When to hit in Blackjack

If your two cards are valued at anything less than 8, you should definitely hit. It doesn’t matter what the dealer is showing because it’s impossible for you to bust. If you’re holding between 12 and 17, things get a little trickier. If you’re new to the game, we recommend following one simple rule to know when to hit or stand in Blackjack. If the dealer is showing a 7, 8, 9, or 10, and your two cards are less than 16, you should hit at the Blackjack tables.

When to stand at the Blackjack tables

When To Hit Or Stay In Blackjack Winnings

When you choose to stand, you’re choosing to not take any cards. The best way to understand when to stand in Blackjack is to imagine that the dealer has worse cards than you, even though you can only see one of them. For example, if you’re showing a 13, and the dealer is showing anywhere from 2 through 6, just imagine that there’s a 10 under there. That means the dealer likely has 12 through 16. If that’s the case, the dealer needs to hit at the Blackjack tables. If he does, he risks hitting a high card that’ll take him over 21. If the dealer is showing a 7 or anything better, you probably don’t want to stand in Blackjack, unless you’re holding 17 or anything better. In a nutshell, if the dealer is showing a low card, you should stand, regardless of what you have. Unless you’ve got a 12 and the dealer is showing a 2 or a 3. Hitting or standing in Blackjack against a 2 or 3 is up for debate, so go with your gut.

When To Hit Or Stay In Blackjack

Split

Playing Blackjack is about more than knowing when to hit or stand. Sometimes, you have the option to split. That means you can turn your pair into two separate hands. As a general rule, always split Aces and eights. For other pairs, go with your gut, or ask someone at the table what they would do.

Double Down

If you’ve got a 10 or 11, it’s no longer about hitting or standing. It’s all about the double down (and we’re not talking about KFC’s monster sandwich). That means you get to double your bet, but you only get one card.

Expert hitting or standing in Blackjack

The Blackjack strategy guide we just provided is great for beginners and high rollers. But if you’re looking to take your Blackjack hit or stand rules to the next level, consider coupling them with a card counting strategy. We’ve covered a few of them in our blog, so check ‘em out.

Andy Cunoi

Andy is a common guy with an uncommon passion for blackjack. Currently he lives in San Francisco, California. Andy enjoys writing about gambling. Loves a simple life and his writing reflects that. He also enjoys music festivals a lot.