Basic Blackjack strategy says to hit your 16 against the dea

Billy Voltaire · Guest

But do the odds and percentages take into account that the dealer has looked at his hole card and it is not a 10? This seems to me to be a very important factor because by not having 21, you now know that he does not have 16 of the cards that will make his hand...I asked this yesterday, but I don't think the strategy acknowledges that the dealer checks his hole card.....

thisguy · Guest

If he does have a 10 as his under card then he has 21 and the hands over, so you will not have the option to hit. Basic strategy has been run probably billions upon billions of times, doing what it says only lowers the house advantage and gives you the best results.

GL at the tables,
thisguy

LegFuJohnson · Guest

And you think you are the first person to think of that? All of the books, all the websites that can be updated at a moments notice... and you are the first to figure out that the dealer checks for a 10 first?

Why not just try it out by yourself? Give the dealer an Ace, give yourself 16, and play out the hands 100 times hitting, and 100 times standing... see what happens.

TechnoRat60 · Guest

Actually, you are correct. And the basic blackjack charts do not take this into account. If you know that the dealer does not have a 10 card for blackjack, and your 16 is not two eights or an ace five, which are special cases, then the odds are: You hit: 75.8% loss You stand: 69.4% loss (And assuming you are not counting cards, since you asked about basic only)

You're in a losing situation no matter what. And if 'Surrender' is available, you should take that option. But if you must play, then you will lose fewer hands over time by standing on 16 if you know the dealer does not have black jack, by about 6.4%.

The problem is, most casinos don't tell you if the dealer has a black jack before you play your hand. You may find a few gimmick tables once in awhile. But in standard blackjack, the dealer waits until you play your hand before turning over his cards. In European blackjack, for example, the dealer's hole card isn't even dealt until all the player hands are finished.

mr.longshot · Guest

The dealer checks their down card right after dealing the cards with an ace up. So if there is no 21 (the dealer) and you have a 16 strategy says hit and that is correct. The dealer is like 85% of making a 17 to 21 in this scenario. You can take A-2-3-4-5 that's like 40% of making your hand.

pdq · Guest

Well said, LegFuJohnson.

The odds and the percentages are ONLY having to do with WHEN THE HAND CAN BE PLAYED OUT.

If the dealer has a 10 in the hole, the hand is over. Everybody lost.

Everyone that told you that hitting 16 is the right play was correct with their advice.

Here's the good news. You're allowed to play any way you'd like. If you feel it's best to stand, then stand away. Sometime you'll be right! Most often it won't matter because you would have lost anyway.

Bottom line is, you will LOSE MORE money doing it your way, but you have the right to believe what you want and play any way you want.

chilicooker_mkb · Guest

always hit, unless your 16 is a pair of 8's. then you split. any strategy is better than playing blindly.