Blackjack decisions in plain words
When to hit, stand, double or split at Cobalt Blackjack — the handful of rules that cover most hands.
Blackjack is one of the few casino games where your choices change the long-run result. The full strategy is a table of a few hundred cells, but a short list covers the hands you will see most often at Cobalt Blackjack, where the dealer stands on every 17.
Hard totals
- Always stand on 17 or more.
- Stand on 13 to 16 when the dealer shows 2 to 6; hit when the dealer shows 7 or higher.
- On 12, stand against a dealer 4, 5 or 6 and hit against everything else.
- Double on 11 against any dealer card except an ace, and on 10 against 2 to 9.
Soft totals
A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11. Stand on soft 19 or more. Soft 18 stands against 2, 7 or 8, doubles against 3 to 6 and hits against 9, 10 or an ace. Hit soft 17 and below unless you can double against a dealer 5 or 6.
Pairs
Always split aces and eights. Never split fives or tens. Split twos, threes, sixes, sevens and nines against the lower dealer cards and hit or stand otherwise.
Following these rules brings the game very close to an even contest over time. It does not make any single hand predictable — the next card is always a fresh draw from the shoe.