Blackjack Basic Strategy For Hands Totaling Hard Thirteen Through Sixteen (13-16)

How to Play a Hard Thirteen Through Sixteen Total in Blackjack - Hard 16

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Hard hands: Hard 8 or less - Hard 9 - Hard 10 - Hard 11 - Hard 12 - Hard 13 - 16 - Hard 17 to 21

Soft hands: Soft 13 - 14 - Soft 15 - 16 - Soft 17 - Soft 18 - Soft 19 to 21

Splitting pairs: Aces - 2's - 3's - 4's - 5's - 6's - 7's - 8's - 9's - 10's

Playing a Total of Hard 13 - 16

Stand if the dealer has an upcard of 2 through 6.

Otherwise take a hit.

Reasoning

A hard 13, 14, 15, or 16 isn't a great hand since the chance of going bust is pretty good. Lots of cards can hurt you, which is why these are called "stiff hands".

If the dealer has a 2 through 6 though, she has a good chance of going bust, so you're better off just standing and crossing your fingers.

If the dealer has a 7 or better though, chances are good that the downcard is a 10. And if that's the case, the dealer will stand and won't possibly bust. So you need to improve your hand in order to have a chance at winning.