When to Stop Hitting in Blackjack?

Knowing when to hit and stand can make all the difference in a game of blackjack. These are two crucial decisions every player must take depending on the strategy and the situation. To hit means to ask for another card, while to stand denotes a player remains on the current total.

Understanding when to stop hitting can help players increase their winning chances and avoid busting.

Although hitting is the most common action in blackjack, it can’t be used in every situation. On the other hand, there are situations when it’s recommended to stop hitting, such as:

• When you have a hard total of seventeen or more.
• When you have a total of thirteen or more, and the dealer has between two and six.
• When you have a soft twenty.
• When your total is twelve or more, and the dealer has four, five, or six.
• When you have a soft eighteen, and the dealer has two, seven, or eight.
• When you have a soft nineteen unless you plan to double against a six.

A hand is “soft” when one of the cards is an ace. It offers certain flexibility, as the ace can be counted as one and eleven. If there are no aces in a hand, it’s “hard”, offering no flexibility.

In addition, players should avoid hitting if the dealer has five or six. In that case, the dealer has the highest odds of busting, so you shouldn’t risk busting yourself.

If the dealer has any card from seven to ace, the player should avoid hitting if the total is seventeen or more. Most blackjack players will stand even at sixteen, regardless of the dealer’s up-card. However, a risk of losing still exists if the dealer has a seven or higher.

The Odds for the Blackjack Dealer’s Bust-Out

Players often assume that the dealer has a ten in the hole. This is an often misconception, as it occurs only 30% of the time since there are sixteen tens in a deck of fifty-two cards. You should never forget one thing: there’s always a 28% chance the dealer will bust.

The bust-out rates increase if the dealer’s cards are the lowest, reaching 42.08%. When the dealer’s upcards are two, three, four, five, or six, the bust-out odds are the same as when they have seven through ace. Despite the common myth, a two is not a good upcard. The odds of busting when holding a two are 35.30%.

To sum it up, you should stop hitting when your odds of busting are higher than the dealer.

Playing with the Worst Hand

There’s always the chance you’ll end up with a band hand, with few options to choose from. However, even when this happens, playing as optimally as possible is vital.

The dealer having an ace is probably one of the worst situations. Since ten-value cards are most likely to appear than any other single-value cards, the dealer has good odds of getting a blackjack. To make things worse for the player, the dealer with an ace has fewer odds of busting.

That’s why you should play aggressively and try to hit a total of seventeen or higher to offset the dealer’s possibly strong hand. The situation can also be negative if the dealer has ten, J, Q, or K. In that case, the player shouldn’t stand before seventeen.

If the dealer has seven, eight, or nine, then he won’t be able to get a blackjack. It means the player is in a better position, although he’ll still need a strong hand. Having a ten or eleven is ideal, and you shouldn’t stand before seventeen to minimise the risk of busting.

The dealer is likely to bust if his upcard is a four, five, or six. At the same time, it means the player may benefit from such a hand. He’ll have to double down with a nine, ten, or eleven, but hitting eight or less and standing at twelve or higher is the preferred course of action. Another favourable situation is when the dealer has a three since it increases his chances of busting.

The player should hit with a twelve even if the odds of busting are high. It’s wise to double down on nine, ten, eleven, hit at eight or less, and twelve, and stand at thirteen or higher. If the dealer has a two, you don’t have to double, as it’s perfectly fine to hit on a nine or twelve and stand at thirteen or higher.

Remember that the dealer must stand at seventeen or above. In this case, the player can benefit from low-value cards to get as close to twenty-one as possible.