How to play Hard Hands

A hard hand in online blackjack is two starting cards that do not have an ace.

With eight or less, always hit.
With a nine, try to double if the dealer has 3 thru 6, otherwise hit.
With ten, double if the dealer has 2 thru 9, otherwise hit.
With eleven, double if the dealer has 2 thru 10, but hit if the dealer has an Ace.
With twelve, hit if the dealer has 2 or 3, stand if the dealer has 4 thru 6, otherwise hit.
With 13 to 16, Stand if the dealer has 2 thru 6, otherwise hit.
Always stand With 17 – 21.

How to play Soft Hands

A soft hand in online blackjack is when one of your starting hands contains an ace.

With Ace and a 2 or 3, double if the dealer has 5 or 6, otherwise hit.
With Ace and a 4 or 5, double if the dealer has 4 thru 6, otherwise hit.
With Ace and a 6, double if the dealer has 3 thru 6, otherwise hit.
With Ace and a 7, stand if the dealer has 2, 7 or 8. Double at 3 thru 6, or else hit.
Always stand With Ace and an 8 or 9.

How to play Pairs

With a pair of Aces or Eights, always split.
With a pair of twos or threes, split if the dealer has 2 - 7, otherwise hit.
With a pair of fours, split if the dealer has 5 or 6, otherwise hit.
With a pair of fives, double if the dealer has 2 thru 9, otherwise hit.
With a pair of sixes, split if the dealer has 2 thru 6, otherwise hit.
With a pair of sevens, split 2 thru 7, otherwise hit.
With a pair of nines, split 2 thru 6, and 8 or 9. Stand if the dealer has 7, 10 or Ace.
It makes sense to always stand with a pair of Tens in online blackjack.

Card Counting

Another strategy is card counting, and it is a widely used technique among today's online blackjack players. It is quite profitable not only because it gives players an opportunity to place larger bets when they have an advantage over the house, but also because it allows players to use the information regarding the remaining cards to improve on their next moves.

Using this particular strategy, online blackjack players who keep track of the cards that have already been used are able to have an idea which cards are still remaining in the deck. For example, with several tens still remaining in the deck, an online blackjack player can double down in more situations. This is because there would be higher odds of creating a strong hand.