It is common to think that the most difficult decisions to make during blackjack are related to the option of standing or hitting a card. But the truth is that no, the decisions that can make a difference in the game are to double the bet and separate the hand, and it is on them that this blackjack strategy is mainly based.

To begin with, the blackjack probabilities must be taken into account according to the cards obtained in the first hand and the exposed card of the dealer. We must consider two groupings for the mentioned card:

• Weak card: it is one located in the range of 2 to 6, highlighting the cards of 5 and 6. With any of these cards, the dealer has a chance of going over 21 of up to 35%, with an even higher probability in the case of letter value 5 or 6.
• Strong card: if this card goes in the range of 7 to Ace, then the situation changes completely. The dealer has a more than 35% chance of landing a winning hand, since with his second card he will probably get a value ranging from 17 to 20.

What actions can we take?

Stand: this should be considered when you have a practically winning hand (17 to 20), since otherwise you are very likely to check and lose the game. It is also advisable to stand if you have a hand of 12 or more and the dealer has a strong card (he will likely win before you reach a winning sum)

Ask for a card: although the chances of bust are high, this is recommended (even having 12 or a few points higher) when the dealer’s card is weak (from 2 to 6 points) since the dealer has a greater probability of exceeding 21 points .

Double down a hand: This blackjack strategy is recommended when the dealer has a weak card. In this case, the option to separate the hand is also recommended.

Split the hand: it is a very useful blackjack strategy even in situations other than the one mentioned. One of the most important is when you get eights or aces. The probability of completing a hand is quite high. (Caution: never separate two 10-value cards, as 20 is too good a play to miss)