Working through "Do you tip blackjack dealers?" means following a single hand from the deal to the payout. Blackjack is a contest between each player and the dealer, and the aim is to finish closer to twenty one than the dealer without going over. Every hand follows the same order: two cards each, a round of decisions for the players, then the dealer's own draw under fixed rules. Knowing the options at each step, and when each makes sense, is most of what the game asks of a player.
Hitting takes another card and standing keeps the hand as it is. The right choice depends on the player's total and on the dealer's visible card, since the dealer must keep drawing to a set total whatever the players hold. A dealer showing a low card is more likely to bust, which is why standing on a modest total can be correct against a six and wrong against a ten. A hard total of seventeen or more is nearly always a stand.
Basic strategy is a chart that gives the best decision for every player total against every dealer card, worked out by simulating millions of hands. It fits on a single card and is allowed at most online tables. Following it removes guesswork and keeps the game close to its lowest cost, while playing by hunch gives much of that back. Charts vary slightly with the table rules, so the right one matches the game in front of the person playing.
Common questions
How does the dealer's upcard affect hitting or standing?
A dealer showing a low card is more likely to bust, so standing on a modest total can be right against a six and wrong against a ten.
What is the difference between soft and hard totals?
A soft hand holds an ace counted as eleven and cannot bust on the next card, whereas a hard hand lacks that flexible ace.
What does a blackjack pay compared with an ordinary win?
An ace with a ten value card as the first two cards is a blackjack, and it usually pays more than a regular win, at the rate printed on the table.
What does surrender mean in blackjack?
Where the table allows it, a player may give up a poor hand after two cards and recover half the stake, sensible only for a few hard totals.
Why must a strategy chart match the table rules?
Basic strategy is worked out by simulating millions of hands under particular rules, so charts differ slightly and the right one fits the game being played.
When is doubling down on ten or eleven a good idea?
Doubling adds a second stake for exactly one more card, and it works best on ten or eleven when the dealer shows a weaker card.