Hitting Sixteen In Blackjack

Alot of people, while playing blackjack, will refuse to hit their sixteen against a dealer's seven, eight, nine or ten valued up cards. They claim to be afraid to break. As I see it, to hit it and break, is to go down swinging, sixteen is a loser to any hand the dealer can make. If the dealer breaks, and you are sitting behind a sixteen, you will get paid, but mathematically, the odds are the dealer will make their hand, when showing an up card of a seven or higher.

Granted, the odds are not the best that you will catch a 'five' or lower, but the odds of the dealer having, or making a hand, are very high, when showing a large up card. A lot of players will look at the previous cards dealt, and try to guess if the next card coming is big or small. It's good to keep in mind, that I have seen many, many little cards in a row, and just as many large cards in a row come from the shoe, the math does not change, due to how many little cards just came out in a row. Even skilled card counters, will advise an average player, to hit your sixteen and simply deviate your bet if you think big cards are coming.

If the house instructs their own dealers to hit on sixteen, you know it must be a better bet than just staying with the losing hand. You notice most casinos are expanding, spending money on advertising, getting nicer decorations every year, they must not be doing too bad for hitting their sixteens, maybe they are on to something.

Some players, the one's that do not hit their sixteens, will argue that if you at least stay on the sixteen, everytime, you are at least playing with consistency and are reducing the risk of a “Doh!” moment.

Hitting On Sixteen For "Luck"

In the end, some say it is all random, all just based on luck. In a way, that is true, just because the odds dictate what will most likely happen in the long-run, does not mean that is what is going to happen in the short term. It could take minutes, hours, days, who knows how long for the odds to catch up and make mathematical sense of it all? You don't have any reason to believe that it will be you in the seat, playing the right spot, at the right time and collect on winning hands, just for playing the correct way, based on statistics.

Hit On Sixteen Consistently When You Should

It's not true though, you SHOULD be hitting on sixteen most of the time!!

However that all said, in the long term – probabilities and odds will work out to give you odds to hit on sixteen anytime the dealers up card is 6 or higher.

Over the years, I have personally seen players play by all the rules, do the right thing, everytime and just never leave a winner. I have also seen first time players play the game with zero knowledge of the game, make all the most craziest decisions, yet clean the tray of all the dealer's chips. Math and odds are funny things, it all usually equals out mathematically in the end, but that is because the house is open 24/7 and is very patient, they have the bankroll to weather the storm.

You, the player, you will most likely play in much smaller doses of time, and only at one table at a time, whereas a casino has many tables running at once. So timing can be more your enemy, than the house's.

Bottom line, if you stay or hit your sixteen, the same way, everytime, you will less likely regret your decisions after seeing the result. If you ask me, or the calculator, both of us will tell you, hit your sixteen against the dealer's seven, eight, nine or ten valued up card.