{"id":39194,"date":"2024-04-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=39194"},"modified":"2024-04-22T07:42:31","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T12:42:31","slug":"when-to-hit-in-blackjack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/when-to-hit-in-blackjack\/","title":{"rendered":"When To Hit In Blackjack (And When Not To)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Taking a hit in blackjack means asking for another card from the dealer after your initial two. You should choose to hit when it’s likely that getting another card will improve your hand without going over 21. For example, you should hit when your total is less than 12, when you have a 12 or 13 against a dealer’s 2, when you have a low hand against a dealer’s pat hand, and when you have a higher soft hand against a dealer’s pat hand. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on for a play by play of when to hit in blackjack, and crucially, when not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below you’ll find a breakdown of the times you want to hit. You can also refer to our blackjack strategy charts<\/a>, which tell you when to hit, stand, double down, split, or surrender for every possible hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your hand doesn\u2019t total at least 12, you need to hit until you have at least a hard total of 12. You can\u2019t bust, so taking a hit doesn\u2019t hurt you yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dealer 2 allows them to draw to some very good hands. If you have a 12 or a 13, you should hit to try and get a better hand, even though you may sometimes bust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In blackjack, a low hand (total less than 17) is hit against a dealer’s pat hand (17 to 21). <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the premises of blackjack is that the dealer will have a 10 under whatever card is turned up. A pat dealer hand then, is one where the dealer has a 7, 8, 9, 10 or ace turned up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should therefore assume that they have a total of 17 or more and won\u2019t be drawing more cards (dealer’s generally have to stand on 17 or more). <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means you need to hit your hand, even if it means going over 21, to try and get to at least 17.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A soft hand is one with an ace that can be counted as a 1 or 11. It means drawing a card can\u2019t break it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should always hit a soft 17<\/a> against a dealer’s pat hand, because even if you draw a high card, you aren’t at risk of busting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ace gives the hands flexibility: if your next card would cause the total to exceed 21, you count the ace as 1 instead of 11. So, you can aggressively pursue a stronger hand to beat the dealer’s pat hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should even hit soft 18 against a 9, 10, or ace up card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, you need to just let the dealer see if they can bust. Other times, you may need to split or double down instead of taking a hit. And sometimes, you just have to know when you can\u2019t draw anymore. Here are the times when you don\u2019t<\/em> want to take a hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If surrender<\/a> is allowed, you want to give up your 16 against a dealer\u2019s 9, 10, or ace, in return for half your bet, unless you have a pair of 8s. In which case you split them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will surrender your 15 against a dealer\u2019s 10 or ace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you reach a total of at least hard 17, you have done all that you can do. It\u2019s time to step back and hope that Lady Luck is on your side, no matter what the dealer has for an up card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the dealer has a 2 through 6 up, and the odds are they have a high card underneath, then there is a good chance that they will have to draw and probably bust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when a dealer has a 2 through 6 up, you will generally stay on any card that will bust you, meaning you stop at hard 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one exception being hitting the 12 and 13 against a dealer 2, which we discussed earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a pair, then you may split them. You can get a breakdown of when to split pairs<\/a> in our in-depth article, but the important things to remember are you always split aces and 8s, you split 4s if you are allowed to double split hands, and you never split 10s.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen To Hit In Blackjack?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Totals less than 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. 12 or 13 against a dealer\u2019s 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Low hands against a dealer\u2019s pat hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Higher soft hands against a dealer\u2019s pat hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When Not To Hit In Blackjack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. When you should surrender instead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. A total of 17 or more<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Against a dealer’s bust card<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. When you should split a pair <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. When you should double down<\/h3>\n\n\n\n