When you are at the blackjack table it is important to know what the odds are for each situation that you might find yourself in. If you know the probabilities of hitting and busting this will give you the insight to make the correct decisions and maximize your winnings. I won’t go into the math of the numbers, but just offer you the simple percentages in order to help make your choices a little more clearer.
Obvious No-Hit Situations
Whenever you get to 17 you do not want to hit, but taking a look at your chances of busting will give you some insight as to just why you don’t want to do so. Here are the values in your hand, plus the chance of busting if you take another card:
20 – 92%
19 – 85%
18 – 77%
17 – 69%
Tough Decisions
To hit or to stand? These are the hands were you face the tough decisions. What you end up doing will depend on what the dealer is showing and here are your chances of busting by taking another card:
16 – 62%
15 – 58%
14 – 56%
Likely Hits
If you are holding a 13 or 12 then you are going to want to hit a majority of times. Worried about busting? Don’t be as you have a much higher chance of improving then breaking:
13 – 39%
12 – 31%
No Bust Situation
Of course it should go without saying, but if you have 11 or less then you can only improve and don’t have to worry about busting.