By Henry Tamburin
No other hand makes blackjack players feel queasy than the dreaded 16. Players hate to hit the hand because they are afraid tobust. So many chicken out and stand no matter what the dealer shows. Others opt for the surrender option if it's available figuring losing half a bet is better then losing it all. If your 16comes as a pair of 8's most players are reluctant to split if the dealer shows a 9, 10, or ace because they are afraid of losing two bets instead of one. Then there is the 16 made up with anAce counted as 11 (i.e., soft 16). So what's a player to do when he gets a 16?
First, let's focus on a hard 16. That's a hand that does not contain an Ace or if it does the Ace counts as one. Some examples of a hard 16 would be 10-6 or 5-7-4 or 7-8-Ace.
Even after you have followed the blackjack strategy tables, learned some advanced betting methods, and you got your first casino comp, you're still bound to hit a losing streak. The important thing to remember is that the streaks will end eventually, so it's important to keep your cool and not increase your bets. Whenever you have a pair for your first two cards you need to decide if you should split. Two two – Split against a dealer four, five, six, and seven, hit against a dealer eight, nine, 10, and ace, and against a dealer two or three split if you can double after split and hit if double after split isn't allowed. Hitting is the first most common decision one makes at the blackjack table. It involves the player requesting additional cards on their initial hand. In multiple-deck games dealt out of a shoe, the player indicates they want to hit either with a beckoning gesture with their finger.
The correct basic playing strategy for hard 16 is to stand when the dealer shows a small card (2 through 6) and hit when the dealer shows a high card (7, 8, 9, 10, or Ace). Following thisplaying strategy will not guarantee that you will win every time but that you are more likely to lose less in the long run. Let me explain.
Suppose you are dealt a 10-6 and the dealer shows a 7 upcard.
If you hit you win on average 30% of the time and lose 70%.
If you stand you will on average win 26% and lose 74%.
Note that you improve your chances of winning the hand by 4% if you hit rather than stand. But the dealer is still an overwhelming favorite to beat you because he will win 70% of the hands toyour 30%. But is it better to win 26% of the time by standing or 30% of the time by hitting? You should hit because it will increase your chance of winning by 4%, not much, but every percentagewill help you in the long run when you play blackjack.
So the bottom line with a hard 16 is this. Even by following the basic strategy, you will lose more hands than you win but in the long run, you will lose less than following a seat-of-the-pantsstrategy. Losing less on hands where you are the underdog is just as important as winning more when you are the favorite.
What if your 16 consists of three or more cards like 5-7-4? Normally the basic strategy ignores the composition of the hand. However, if you have a hard 16 hand consisting of three or morecards, then you should stand when the dealer has a 10 showing. The reason is that you have consumed a few of the small cards that you need if you were to draw. This tips the odds in favor ofstanding.
Busting is the worst. So what if you just never hit a hand that could go over 21? In this video, long time blackjack players Colin Jones and Loudon Ofton exp.
Some casinos allow players to surrender. This means you give up the opportunity to play out your hand and automatically lose half your bet. Even when surrender is offered, most players don'tlike 'giving up' without a fight. So they rarely surrender. That's unfortunate because surrendering a hard 16 when the dealer shows a 9, 10, or Ace will save you more money in the long run thanhitting. In fact, surrender is always the best option when your chance of winning a hand is less than 25%. Take the hand of hard 16 against a 10. If we hit our chance of winning is 23.4%. Thismeans the dealer's chance of beating us is 76.6%. If we played a hundred hard 16's against the dealer 10 with those probabilities, we would end up winning about $23 and losing $77 for a netloss of $54 on average. By surrendering on every hand our net loss would be $50. Get the point? You are better off losing $50 then $54 which is why surrendering a hard 16 against a 10 is thebetter play because you will save $4.
If you happen to be dealt a soft 16 (like Ace-5), you should never surrender and you should never stand. Your first option is to double but only if the dealer shows a weak 4, 5, or 6 upcard. Ifnot, then hit.
Finally, we have a pair of 8's. The correct basic strategy play is to always split the 8's no matter what the dealer shows. Even though you will lose money on both 8's when you split, thecombined loss, in the long run, will be less than the amount you will lose by playing the one hand as a 16. Splitting 8's against a dealer 10, by the way, is also a slightly better play thensurrendering.
No question that 16 is a lousy blackjack hand. Unfortunately, it's one of the most frequent hands you are going to be dealt in blackjack. But, by following the above playing strategy you willbe optimizing your chances of winning more, and losing less, in the long run. It's the smart way to play blackjack.
Henry Tamburin has been a respected casino gambling writer for the past 50 years. He is the author of the Ultimate Blackjack Strategy Guide and was editor of the BlackjackInsider newsletter. You can read his latest articles on blackjack, video poker, and his personal playing experiences at https://www.888casino.com/blog/writers/henry-tamburin
Zappit is a blackjack variant invented by Geoff Hall. He also invented Blackjack Switch, among other table games. Zappit is distributed by Scientific Games.
The goal of Zappit is identical to other blackjack variants. The player wants to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. The player loses on a bust. If the dealer busts, the player wins.
Zappit has a couple of major rule changes when compared to the original blackjack game. This involves the ability to discard poor hands and receive a new one, as well as the dealer pushing on what is typically a bust hand.
Players will find Zappit at Bodog, Bovada, and Ignition Casino. It is spread live in Las Vegas at Luxor, Green Valley Ranch, and Red Rock.
Keep reading this Zappit guide to find out more.
How Zappit Differs from Traditional Blackjack
There are two major differences between Zappit and traditional blackjack.
In Zappit, a player can zap a hand that is 15, 16, or 17 at online casinos. At live casinos, 18 may also be discarded. This means that a player can dump one of these hands and draw a new one.
All blackjack variants have a catch that offsets favorable rules. In Zappit, the dealer pushes all players still in the hand if the house makes a 22. Players that were originally dealt a blackjack keep their win. Those that busted before the dealer made a 22 still lose.
Being able to discard an 18 is not the only difference between online casinos and live ones. Bodog and Bovada pay 3:2 on a blackjack. Live casinos only pay 6:5.
This is a difference of 1.36% in terms of house edge. This is the tradeoff for permitting Zappit on 18, though the 6:5 payout makes the live version much worse in terms of returns to the player.
A Zappit hand starts with the player making a bet. This is placed in the betting circle. At a live game, place chips there.
At an online casino, click on the denomination of chips that you would like to use. After that, click the betting circle the number of times that equals the wager that you would like to make. Once the bet is determined, click the deal button.
All players and the dealer will receive two cards. The dealer places one card face up. If the dealer is showing an ace, insurance is offered. This is where a player can receive 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack.
Next, the dealer checks for blackjack if showing an ace or 10-value card. If the dealer has blackjack, the hand immediately ends. Players with blackjack push here. All other players lose. Insurance bets receive 2:1.
If the dealer does not have blackjack, players that have one are immediately paid. At online casinos, players receive 3:2. This means that a player wins $3 for every $2 bet. At Las Vegas casinos, players receive a 6:5 payout on blackjack. This means $6 for every $5 wagered.
Once blackjacks are resolved, players decide how to play their hands.
If players are dealt a 15, 16, or 17, the correct action is to zap the hand. Do this with 18 against a 9, 10, or ace, if permitted. Click the zap button at an online casino to do this. At a live dealer, use the surrender motion by dragging a finger in front of the bet.
Once the hand is zapped with a new one, the hand continues as normal.
If the player does not receive a Zappit hand, the options are to hit, stand, double down, split, or surrender. These choices are displayed as buttons on the screen of an online casino.
A player hits if he or she would like an additional card. Hitting is permitted until the player busts with 22 or more. Stand is the right move if you do not want any more cards.
If dealt a pair, you may split. This is where you double your bet and turn the pair into two hands, each containing one of the original paired cards.
Wizard of oz haunted forest slot machine. Double down is where the player doubles the original bet and receives one more card. Double down is permitted after splitting.
Surrender permits a player to fold and give the dealer half the bet. Surrender is permitted after a zap. It is only available at online casinos.
Once all players have acted, the dealer shows the hole card.
- If the dealer has 18 or higher, the hand stands
- If it has 16 or lower, it is hit
- A 17 that includes an ace and cannot bust, known as soft 17, is hit by the house
- A 17 that can bust must stand. This is known as a hard 17
If the dealer draws, the house loses on a bust if the hand goes over 22. If the dealer makes 22, all players still in the hand push. Those dealt blackjack win. Hands that busted before the dealer made a 22 lose.
If the player has a higher point total than the dealer without going over 21, the bets on the table are matched by the dealer as a win.
If the point value is lower than the dealer, or the player makes a hand of 22 or more, the bet loses. If both the player and dealer have the same hand, or the dealer makes 22, the hand pushes. All bets are returned.
The rules of Zappit make the strategy different than a standard blackjack game.
We recommend studying the following chart as the best way to learn optimal strategy for Zappit.
If you prefer to learn through reading, here are the rules you need to try to remember.
Always take advantage of the Zappit feature if dealt 15, 16, or 17, except split 8s against a dealer 6 or 7.
Use the Zappit on a hard 18 against a 9, 10, or ace, if permitted. If dealt a pair of 9s, stand against a 2, 3, or 7. Split against 4, 5, 6, and 8. With soft 18, stand against a 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8. Double down against a 5 or 6 if on the first two cards. Otherwise, stand. Hit against a 9, 10, or ace.
Always hit 5 through 8. Hit on 9, except double down against a 6. Double down on a dealt 10 against a 2 through 8. Otherwise, hit. Double down on a dealt 11 against a 2 through 9. Otherwise hit.
Blackjack Hit Or Stand
Stand on 12 against a 5 or 6; otherwise, hit. Stand on 13 against a 3 through 6 and hit all other dealer door cards. Stand on 14, 15, and 16 against a 2 through 6. Hit it against all others. Stand on hard 17 or higher, regardless of the dealer's door card.
Hit soft 13 through 15. Double soft 16 against an ace. Otherwise, hit. Double down on soft 17 against a 5 or 6. Otherwise, hit. Double down on soft 18 against a 5 or 6. Stand against a 9, 10, or ace. Stand against any other dealer card. Stand on any soft hand higher than 18.
Split 2s and 3s against a 5, 6, or 7. Hit it against other cards. Split 6s against a 4, 5, or 6. Split 7s against a dealer 3 through 7. Split 8s against a 2 through 8; otherwise, hit. Split 9s against a 4, 5, 6, 8, or 9. Never split 10s. Always split aces. Never split 4s, 5s, or cards with a value of 10.
Surrender is available at Bodog, Bovada, and Ignition Casino, even after the player zaps. This is where a player folds and receives half of the original bet back. Surrender 15 against a card worth 10 or an ace. Surrender 16 against a 9, 10, or ace. Also surrender 17 against an ace.
Zappit is spread at three online casinos. Those are Bodog, Bovada, and Ignition Casino.
Blackjack Hit Chart
Live casinos that spread the game include Eastside Cannery, Green Valley Ranch, Luxor, and Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.
Our Pick
We recommend playing Zappit at Bodog, Bovada, and Ignition Casino over the live ones. That is because these online casinos pay 3:2 on a blackjack.
The Las Vegas casinos permit Zappit on 18. However, this does not come close to offsetting the 6:5 payout on a blackjack.
Zappit is a fun blackjack variant. It is one of those games that is better to play online than live in terms of paybacks.
It has a higher house edge than most blackjack games offered by casinos. For this reason, we do not recommend playing it for any serious level of action.
However, it is still a fun change of pace for blackjack players looking for something new.
