Standing – When to, when not to
Standing in blackjack is to hold fast with your hand, and refuse any more cards.
Players stand when they believe they hold a winning hand, or they’re uncomfortably close to going over 21 and busting. In the last case, they may not have too much confidence in their hand, but also feel busting is too likely (a 15 comes to mind – you will bust on a 7 or over… but 15 isn’t very strong, either, especially if the dealer shows a 7 or higher.)
When you want to stand, signal your desire by saying “Stay” and sliding your cards under your bet, or move your hand back and forth horizontally in the ‘No’ motion.
Your standing strategy should depend on a few questions. Do you have hard hands? What is the dealer’s face up card? What’s the probability of you or the dealer busting? Since there are over 100 variants of blackjack some standing strategies may be different, for this article where going to talk about regular blackjack.
If you have a hard hand of 17 – 21, then you should stand. Hard hands are hands without aces (or an ace used only as a 1). Since aces have a value of 11 or a 1, used as an 11 initially makes a hand flexible or “Soft” (this gives you an out if you draw too high of a card. The ace can revert to a 1.) If you have a hand that’s impossible to bust such as an 11 or less, then you should never stand. Since dealers must deal to 17 higher, you’ve almost guaranteed a loss if you don’t take that card. Of course it’s possible a dealer may draw 16 and then a high card to bust, but the chances are slim. If you can’t bust, then hit. Always.
Don’t stand with a 16 or less if the dealer is showing an ace. The dealer has a greater chance of hitting blackjack (due to the five 10 value cards) than any other combination so we need to minimize their chances. Don’t stand with 17 or less if the dealer has a 10 value card. The dealer has a roughly 33% chance of getting a blackjack or a 20. Anything over a 17 minimizes their chances but you will have to get uncomfortably close to busting (hey, that’s why it’s called gambling!)
In general terms, if you are afraid of busting, then stand when the dealer is showing a 7 – 9, since dealer blackjack is impossible. It’s still a good hand for the dealer but not as much as the previous examples. A dealer with a 2 – 6 is just screaming for you to double down (double your bet and get another card) if you’re not close to busting. You don’t need to be as aggressive because the chances are good for the dealer to bust. Stand on a 12 if the dealer shows 4 -6 and stand on a 13 if the dealer has a 2 or a 3.
Again, this is all somewhat mechanical, and we’re not taking that all important “gut feeling” into consideration. If you are feeling lucky, feel free to break the rules if you wish (in other words, stand your ground and go with your gut!)
And best of luck, whether you hit or stand!!
