Learn the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy - From Basic to Advanced

From Las Vegas to Atlantic City and beyond, blackjack remains a staple table game in casinos across the world. The game has been featured in James Bond movies, TV shows, and even video games. The green velvet of the table and the intensity of wondering what card will come up next are unmatched. The blackjack game remains one of the most recognizable casino games, and its simplicity makes it stand out amongst some of the more complicated games you’ll find.

Blackjack remains as popular as ever despite the technology of the game never really changing. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck (although casinos sometimes use anywhere between 1 and 8 decks), and the objective is simple: to get a total as close to 21 as possible without going over. 

Blackjack goes by many different names. Originally the game was called “vingt-et-un” which translates to “twenty-one.” The first account of an early version of the game was written by Miguel De Cervantes in 1602, but it was the French in the 18th century who popularized the game most people today would be familiar with. The game made its way over to Britain, where it was called “pontoon,” and now the names “twenty-one” and “pontoon” are often still associated with the game of blackjack.

By the time blackjack was brought over to the United States, it was commonly played in parlor houses and saloons, but it was during the gold rush that the name “blackjack” started to take off. A bonus would sometimes be given out if a player landed an Ace card with a 10-point card.

Since gold prospectors often found a black mineral while looking for gold and silver, they gave that mineral name to the top bonus card. The bonus card rule of the 19th century fell by the wayside, but the name “blackjack” stuck.

Before you can move on to more advanced strategies, make sure you study the rules of blackjack. You may think you know all there is to know from watching movies or playing a few hands now and then, but it’s best to truly learn the basics to set yourself up for success when playing blackjack for real money.

The game of blackjack is easy to learn, and getting a basic understanding of how the game plays out will only improve your overall blackjack strategy. At its core, the aim of blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. Instead of playing against the other players at the table, players play against the dealer. 

Before the game begins, players will have the chance to place their bet. Bets go in the “betting box,” and once every player places their wager, the dealer will deal the cards starting from their left and going to the right.

A player will be dealt two cards face up. The dealer will also have two cards, but only one will be face-up. An Ace is worth either 1 or 11, and Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10. Every other card is worth its face value. After players have figured out their total and it’s their turn, they can choose to either:

1. “Hit” and get another card.
2. “Stand” and not get another card, ending their turn.
3. “Double,” which involved doubling your bet and receiving only one card in return.
4. “Split.” If you receive two cards of the same face value, players can choose to split them and make two separate hands.
5. “Surrender,” which is to give up half your bet and end your turn.

If your hand is closer to 21, you win. If the dealer’s hand is closer to 21, they win.

You may have heard that online blackjack requires some skill. You have to be very calculative in deciding if you want to hit or stand because it will determine whether you’ll beat the house or not.

All online casino games have been designed with a structure that can give you an idea of what your winnings will be. The same thing applies to online blackjack. Casino table games like blackjack have a house edge that you can minimize.

Blackjack can have an RTP of up to 99% if you play without a strategy. In that case, the house edge is about 1%, so the game now has nearly 50-50 chances. The best way to go about blackjack odds and RTP is to have a basic strategy that you stick to. If it works for you and you like it, that could be the best direction to go in.

Learning blackjack takes time, patience, skill and luck, but with the strategies above, you might be ready to try it out. If you prefer the live dealer casino option, check out FanDuel’s Live Dealer blackjack, which features our experienced live casino dealers, who are available 24/7 to offer you the best experience in live dealer casino blackjack.

Here are some of the best online blackjack strategies and tips that you should know before you start playing blackjack:

There are different kinds of blackjack tables with numerous betting levels. Playing at a high stakes table with a limited bankroll will max out your credits before you even get the chance to make any returns. If you are a low roller, you will want to pick a table with low minimum limits, while high rollers can go big on their stakes.

Another good bankroll management habit is learning when to walk away. Once you start rolling cards and chips, it can get very exciting, especially when you are on a hot streak. If you are lucky enough to make considerable returns early on in the game, you may want to consider taking a break to ensure that your bankroll lives to see another day.

This is the most common “don’t” of blackjack. The insurance bet is a wager on the dealer getting a perfect blackjack when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace. Even if you have a good hand total, say 19 or 20, don’t make the insurance bet because the payoff is less than the odds that the dealer will have a Blackjack. It is a side bet that significantly favors the house, so you should avoid it altogether.

Knowing when to hit can save you from losing. There are four times as many 10-value cards in a deck as other cards. This means that if the dealer is showing a 7, 8, or 9, it’s somewhat likely that the card they're not showing is a 10. Always stand on a pair of 9s if the dealer is showing a 7.

Now that some easier blackjack strategy has been covered, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty. As with any game, you’re probably wondering how to win. The reality is that there is no sure way to win. You can’t accurately predict which card will come up next in the deck, but you can do what professional gamblers call “playing the odds.” 


Out of all casino games, blackjack has one of the lowest house advantages, about 0.46%. A large part of a hand’s outcome depends on your playing skills. That is why blackjack has a list of basic strategies that every avid player should learn. Knowing when to hit or stand could save you from losing against the dealer's hand or going bust.

When the dealer’s upcard is a 7, for example, a tried and true blackjack strategy is to always stand with a pair of 9s. There are four times as many 10 value cards in a deck, so when the dealer’s upcard is a 7, you should stand on a pair of 9s because it's likely the dealer will end up with a total hand of 17, in which case your 18 will win.

Another basic strategy is to always split aces and eights. The dealer will usually stand on 17, so having a pair of cards totaling 16 makes you the clear underdog. By splitting the hand, you have greater chances of winning at least one of them. With Aces, it is crystal clear. Two Aces is a 12, and if you hit, you risk going over 21. But splitting Aces gives you two 11s, allowing you to hit and hope for a high card without risking a bust.

When playing at a table that allows the surrender feature, the first question that should pop into your head after being dealt a hand is, should I surrender or not? The basic strategies here are 16 surrenders against a dealer’s 9, 10 or Ace and 11 surrenders against a dealer’s 10.

The purpose of keeping these in mind is to help you make fewer mistakes that lead to a loss. When you surrender, you will be giving up only half your bet and keeping the other half, which is much more profitable than losing the hand completely. Always double down on a hard 11 (a hand without an ace). 

Always hit a soft 1T (hand with an ace) when the dealer’s upcard is 9, 10 or Ace. Never split a pair of 5s or 10s. If the dealer's up card is 9 or less, always double down on 1w. Against a dealer’s 2 or 3 upcard, always hit a hard 12.

A good option would be to get a blackjack strategy card. Blackjack Strategy cards are popular with some blackjack players who want to leave as little as possible to chance, and want to study or memorize the best moves to mathematically make at any given point in the game depending on what cards the player is dealt and what the dealer’s upcard is. If you’re a visual learner or someone who loves to dive into the details, check out the blackjack strategy chart below and keep it in mind during your next blackjack game.

With the basic strategy down, it's time to learn how to bet at the blackjack table. Depending on your bankroll and your style of gaming, there are a couple of ways this could go.

This is very much in line with common sense reasoning. You are trying to be prudent, so you raise your stake every time you win and lower it whenever you lose. There is a gambling concept that winning and losing happen in streaks. And that is what the conservative approach believes. You could lose five times consecutively, but then win three times in a row.

By raising your stakes little by little, you minimize losses when they come. We recommend this strategy for newcomers to the blackjack gaming scene. High stakes can seem daunting at first, so this is a much easier way to survey the terrain.

Otherwise known as the Martingale strategy, you will want to have a sizable bankroll available before using this strategy. The Martingale strategy is the standard progressive betting approach, and it states that players should double their stakes each time they lose. This is an aggressive betting style because you are basically pushing for a win without looking back.

It doesn’t sound like the smartest move at first, but the idea is that you will most probably win a hand of blackjack during a gaming session. You would win by either beating the dealer's hand or if the dealer goes bust, so chances are high for this to happen at least once. Now, it's starting to make sense.

Because you double your bet each time, when you finally land a win, you cover up all your losses, and depending on your bet type, you could be making some decent profits, too. With this strategy, however, it's best not to get too greedy. Martingale’s strategy doesn’t work for very long gaming sessions, so after winning a few times, you should consider leaving the table.

This is another strategy that doesn’t weigh down your bankroll. It is not as daring as Martingale's strategy, so if you prefer low stake betting, you should definitely give this a shot. This strategy follows the belief that winning occurs in streaks. The number sequence represents the betting pattern after winning a blackjack hand. For instance, $10, $30, $20, $60. If your first bet was $20, then your subsequent bets should be $20, $60, $40, $120.

You immediately cut the sequence if you lose and continue betting the original amount until you win again. This strategy is a long term strategy. The figures at the start of the game may not be impressive, but you'll have an advantage over time. You don't make random bets, but calculated ones, so your bankroll doesn’t deplete quickly, and you can play for longer.

Ultimately, the best strategy for you might be some of the above…or none of the above! Blackjack is a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Putting real money on the line increases the stakes, but if you’re not enjoying the game, then who are you helping?

Study the strategies in this article, try a few games…and do what works best for you! If you play blackjack with a strategy, the game can have an RTP of 99%, so your game stands at about 50-50 odds of winning. Even the most basic blackjack strategy can help shift the odds more in your favor. 

Learning blackjack might be easy, but it’s a hard game to master, and just like every game at FanDuel Casino, there’s no guaranteed way to win every time. Try out a few different methods that are working for you, and you’ll become a blackjack strategy master in no time.

Ready to dip your toe into playing blackjack with a strategy? Or maybe you’re ready to fully dive in. Try online blackjack now!