No blackjack hand polarizes players more than the question of whether or not to hit on 16 against the dealer’s 10. It seems like every player has his or her own opinion on the matter, but statistically speaking, this is the wrong decision.
The basic blackjack strategy chart recommends hitting a hand of 16 against the dealer’s up card, but some players question this advice with furrowed brows and audible doubt. This is understandable because when you play a hand of 16, there’s a 62% chance of busting if you take another card. This is a significant loss rate and will lead to negative results over thousands of hands played.
That’s why it’s so important to have a solid blackjack strategy in place to help you make the right decisions. A good strategy will teach you the best ways to win at blackjack and help you limit your losses.
If you’re looking for a blackjack strategy that will help you maximize your profits, look no further than our comprehensive guide. It covers everything from basic rules to advanced strategies and even explains the various side bets you can make in blackjack. It will also teach you the basics of counting cards, a technique that can significantly increase your winning odds.
As you read, you’ll learn the best ways to beat the dealer in blackjack and the optimal way to handle each hand. With practice, you’ll be able to apply these principles to any blackjack game and become a more profitable player in the process.
A few things to remember before you start playing:
First, you need to know that the dealer is required to hit on a 16 and stand on 17 by basic rules. This gives the house a small advantage over the player, but it is easily offset by knowing the proper strategy.
The second thing to keep in mind is that your chances of losing a blackjack hand are much higher when you choose to hit than when you decide to stand. In fact, hitting on a hand of 16 will result in a 77% loss rate compared to a 2% loss rate when you stand.
The only time you should ever stand on a hand of 16 is when the dealer is showing an up card that’s likely to bust. Otherwise, it’s recommended that you always hit on a hand of 16. This is the correct move under both total-dependent and composition-dependent blackjack strategies, and it will give you the best chances of beating the dealer. This is especially true if you’re playing in pitch games with no late surrender.