Many players seem to hit the wall at 16 and stand regardless of the dealer’s face-up card. But that 16 is a loser unless the dealer bids, and the dealer will make 17 or better about 80 percent of the time with a 7 or higher showing. The risk of going over for asking 16 is outweighed by the probability that you will lose if you stand.
The basic strategy for difficult totals is fairly straightforward, but when it comes to flexible totals, many players get confused. They seem lost, like the player aboard a ship in Joliet, Illinois, who was looking to stand with Ace-5 – a flexible 16 – against a 6 from the dealer. The dealer asked him if he was sure, and another player said, “You cannot HIT this hand,” then the player finally pointed to ask. He got a 5 for a total of 21 and it was all smiles.
In a face-down card game, no friendly advice is available. Once, in a downtown Las Vegas casino, the dealer bumped, meaning that all the players who hadn’t bumped won. One player turned two Aces and a three. “Five winner!” shouted the croupier. Although it worked at the time, a five (or 15) never win online casino singapore without the dealer bust, and the player can hit at least one more card without going bust. This is too great a bonus to give away.
Nothing you could get out could hurt a flexible 16, or a flexible 15, or many other flexible totals. As with difficult totals, guesswork is unnecessary. A basic strategy tells you what to do with flexible hands.
The Ace 6 hand is the most poorly played hand in blackjack. People who understand that the dealer always stands on 17 and that the player stands on a difficult 17 and on top of that they seem to think that 17 is a good hand, but the dealer must check for the 17 to win. If the dealer does not bust, the best 17 can make a tie. By asking for 17 flex, you have a chance to improve it by rolling Ace, 2, 3, or 4, or leaving it the same with 10-jack-queen-king. This is eight of 13 cards that either improves the hand or does not make it worse. And even if you roll 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, you have another chance to roll if the dealer shows 7 or better, and you will still be in position to win if the dealer checks while showing 2 to 6, and all. What he’s given up is a chance to tie a 17.