Learn About the Best Starting Hands in Blackjack

Blackjack is by far one of the most crowd-pleasing casino games that can be played in nearly all casinos, be it brick-and-mortar or interactive ones. Aside from its great availability, what further adds to the appeal of blackjack is that it is relatively easy to master its rules and become a whizz. 

Something important some gambling aficionados often overleap is that unlike most other casino games, blackjack is much more mathematically-oriented. Since in every situation, there is just one correct play, casino enthusiasts should ensure that they have a good understanding of the maths behind the game. 

If playing blackjack is your scene, but you do not have that much experience under your belt or it has been simply a while since you last played it, you should certainly make sure that you have proper knowledge of all intricacies of the game, including the best starting hands. 

The Best Starting Hands in Blackjack

For beginners, the first two cards they will be dealt with are referred to as their starting hand, and as soon as they pay attention to its value, they will be able to determine what the appropriate action in the specific situation will be. In other words, depending on the value of their initial starting hand, gambling aficionados should decide whether to hit, stand, split, or double down. 

If you are looking to add up to your knowledge about blackjack, you can read up on the guides available across the Internet or watching this video

Natural vs Non Ten-valued Cards or an Ace

If you are enthusiastic about the game of 21, you might already know that the blackjack is the most valuable of all starting hands players can potentially get. In other words, this is a hand that is made up of a ten-valued card such as Ten, Jack, Queen, or King and an Ace. As long as you get such a starting hand, you should not get overly excited and make sure that the dealer’s facing card is not an Ace or a ten-valued one. 

Such hands are known also as “natural”, and in the event that players’ hand remains untied with the one of the dealer, they will get paid out at the rate of 3:2. 

It is important to note that if the dealer’s upcard is not an Ace or a face card, this renders it impossible for a tie to occur. If this happens, however, gambling aficionados will simply have the staked amount returned. 

Hard 20 and 8

Another starting hand players should pay special attention to is the Hard 20, or in other words, a hand that consists of two cards that count as 10. What casino enthusiasts need to know is that this is an exceptionally advantageous blackjack hand, and it becomes even more valuable on the occasions when the upcard of the dealer is an 8. 

Perhaps, you already know that if you have a Hard 20, the only occasion on which your wager will become a losing one is when the dealer succeeds in getting a total of 21 by drawing extra cards. The good news is that the combinations that make such a total are thin on the ground. 

Hard 20 vs 7

The mathematical value of such hands is 77.32% against 79.18% for the above-mentioned hands. In the event that the face-up card of the dealer is a 7, this situation can turn out to be rather advantageous for gambling enthusiasts due to the fact that if the total of the dealer’s hand is 17, he/she will not be permitted to draw extra cards. 

The likelihood of this to take place is rather high because the ten-valued cards are the most numerous ones when compared to all other values the deck contains. 

It is worth mentioning that the dealer can still draw extra cards and get a total of 20, which will be a tie, or get 21, which means beating the player, but the chances any of these scenarios to take place are exceptionally poor. 

Which Are the Worst Starting Hands in Blackjack

If you are determined to learn the ins and outs of blackjack, you should make sure that you are conscious of which the worst and some tricky hands in blackjack are. Something important casino aficionados should be aware of is that hands number 12 or 13 rank among the trickiest because players’ chances of going bust exceed 30%. 

16 vs 10

As long as you are making your first steps in playing blackjack, you need to know that this is the worst possible scenario you can see for the simple reason that the 16 is a total with a negative expectation. What this means is that with such totals, it is inevitable for gambling enthusiasts to lose over the long run. 

The most likely development of the game would be the player drawing a weaker card or the dealer getting bust. 

16 vs Ace

This is one more unfavorable scenario for players because the values that can make for a win are scarce. Yet, this does not refer to the card of the dealer because the ways in which a hand can be formed are the most plentiful. This is precisely the reason why such starting hands have a negative expectation to casino enthusiasts. 

16 vs 19

This is one more total that puts players at a disadvantage due to the fact that the values that allow them to make a hand are very few. As long as the dealer’s upcard is a 9, there is a good chance that his/her hole card might be any of the ten-valued ones, because as we mentioned already, they are the most plentiful. Therefore, the dealer’s chances of scoring a win with a standing total of 19 are pretty high. 

MAC Suspends All Fall Sports Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
MAC Suspends All Fall Sports Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Read More:
Sports
  • 10678531520930918