Single Deck Blackjack Strategy

There's no doubt that the term "different horses for different courses" resonates with those who throw a buck or two down on the thoroughbreds. Well, in a sense the same thing could apply to blackjack. Just because a Basic Strategy is laid out for the game does not necessarily mean it is the one that is to played for every different set of conditions you'll find in a casino.

What you are going to find as a so-called "standard" strategy for blackjack is the one that applies to the games that are most prevalent. That means blackjack games that are dealt from multiple-deck shoes. If you are going to attack the game, your preferred approach should be to take this "standard" strategy and then work variations off it, according to what kind of game you're playing. One of the factors on which these variations are based involves the rules that are in effect. Another is the number of decks that are being used in the game.

That is certainly something worth getting into, and as you know, while casinos can deal their game with two decks, and go up to six or eight decks, they can also deal a single deck. That changes things.

There are are going to be decisions you would make in a single-deck game that you would not make when playing in a multi-deck (two, four, six or eight deck) game. For example, if you are dealt a pair of sevens when the dealer is showing a ten in a multi-deck game, Basic Blackjack Strategy would normally call for you to hit. However, if you were playing with a single deck, you would stand in that situation.

That's something that may sound strange, but when you look at the options at your disposal, it makes sense. Splitting is unsound, and doesn't even make sense in multi-deck, since you'd be placing twice the amount of the bet on the table and the likelihood of either of those split hands beating the dealer is remote. Looking at the hitting option, there is a good chance you would need to draw another seven to beat the dealer. When you're playing with a single deck, this is not likely, since you've got only two other sevens in the entire deck. The only correct decision in that situation is to stand, which simply helps you lose less than the other options. In a six-deck game, you could feel free to hit just like any other hard 14, because at least you would have 22 more sevens somewhere in the shoe to help your hand.

There are three principal changes you'd make to the Basic Strategy for the single-deck game. Here they are:

-- when you have a pair of 7's against the dealer's 10, STAND instead of HIT
-- when you have an 11 against the dealer's Ace, DOUBLE instead of HIT
-- when you have a 5,3 combination of 8, DOUBLE instead of HIT, against the dealer's 5 or 6

Basic Strategy players can actually attain a slight advantage over the house in a single-deck game that presents the most favorable possible rules. When the number of decks changes, it reduces your expectations a bit, but if you are executing your blackjack strategy decisions without error you are still playing virtually a break-even game with the house.

Not all online casinos offer single deck blackjack, but if you want to practice online, most casinos using Microgaming software offer single deck blackjack games.