Best Blackjack Tips: How to Play a Hard 10 at Springbok Angola Online Casino

Blackjack is one of the most popular games at Springbok Angola Online Casino.  It can also be one of the most rewarding in terms of payouts.  To exploit the low houses edge that is always associated with online blackjack - and its many variations - you have to play the game perfectly.

Bank ZAR With the Three Card Blackjack Strategy 

How do you do that?  Well according to the statisticians, mathematicians and number crunchers who like to analyse and assess these kinds of things there are set moves you should make based on the cards in your starting hand.

Wait!  There is another element that influences the best play equation… and that of course is the value of the dealer’s up card.  In other words, there is a clear-cut strategy that defines exactly what moves you should make according to the three visible cards on the gaming interface - the initial two cards you are dealt and the dealer’s revealed card.

Get this strategy down pat and there is a good chance you will win more hands than you lose at our star rated Angola online casino.  That means banking payouts of at least 1:1.  Hit that elusive blackjack - you know a two card hand consisting of an ace and a face or a 10 - and the winnings are paid out at odds of 3:2!

Hard 10: One of the Best Blackjack Starting Hands 

In this article we are going to look at how to play a hard 10 in the statistically perfect way.  We are also going to explain why you should play the way you should.  Why focus on a 10 value starting hand?  Well it is one of the best blackjack starting hands you can get at Springbok Casino - or any other Angola online casino for that matter!

Before we get into the finer details of the hard 10 strategy let’s clarify what a hard 10 actually is in blackjack.  Any hard two card hand is a hand that does not contain an ace.  In blackjack a hard 10 can be 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6 and 5 and 5.  That of course means a soft 10 is 9 and an ace.

Avoid Splitting a Pair of Fives 

Right, now down to business.  When you are dealt a hard 10 consisting of a pair of fives it may seem like a great idea to split the fives and play two separate hands. However, splitting in this case is not recommended.

Why?  There is a good chance you will be dealt a 10.  Remember, there are 16 possible 10 value cards - 4 x 10, J, Q and K. 

What is so terrible about drawing a 10?  It means the two card total is 15 and 15 is one of the worst starting hands you can get in blackjack.  It is too high to hit and too low to stand, leaving you in a high risk situation.

Hit or Double Down on Hard 10? 

Instead of splitting the best option is to either hit or double down - not only on a pair of fives but on all other hard 10 starting hands.  How do you know which option is statistically the most prudent?  From the dealer’s up card of course.

The accepted norm is to double down on a hard 10 if the dealer’s revealed card is 2 to 9 and to hit when the dealer is showing a 10, J, Q, K or Ace.

Why you Should Never Double Down When the Dealer Shows a 10 or Ace 

Now let’s deal with why the double down move is simply not an option when the dealer has a 10 or an ace.  Here are the possible cards that can be dealt to your hard 10 staring hand:

• 2 to 6 - brings your hand total up to 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16. Statistically these are nothing hands. The odds of beating the dealer are slim indeed.
• 7 - means your hand is valued at 17. According to the clever okes the average winning hand in blackjack is 18.5, so your hand falls short on that score
• 8 - equals 18 but again the law of averages tells us that your hand probably won’t win… even if it is by a whisker.

That leaves only 9, a 10 value card and an ace as ‘statistically probable’ winners.

However, when you consider that only 23 cards of the remaining 49 cards in the deck have the potential to push you into winning territory - compared to the 26 cards that can’t - it really is far too risky to double down. 

Let’s face it, your aim is win money gambling at Springbok Angola Online Casino!

How About Hard 11? Is it Good, Bad or Indifferent?  

If hard 10 is a great starting hand how about hard 11?  For all intents and purposes a two card hand consisting of 2 and 9, 3 and 8, 4 and 7 and 5 and 6 is pretty awesome especially if the dealer is showing a low value card.

A rule you can safely apply at the best Angola online casino - and we mean Springbok of course - is to always double down on hard 11… notwithstanding the dealer’s up card.  In this case the probability of beating the dealer and winning even money is relatively high!

Basic Blackjack Strategy Equates to Positive Springbok Casino Account Balance 

Getting a good starting hand in online blackjack means half the battle is won.  Learning how to play a good starting hand the best possible way you can will ensure you have the fire power to win the war.

If you want a positive balance in your Angola Online Casino account, it is essential to brush up on the basic blackjack strategy long before you hit the deal button!

Go on, capitalise on the game’s low house edge and play blackjack like a pro at the best ever Angola online casino… with a prancing springbok as the brand logo!