In blackjack, one of the most popular questions asked by both novice and expert players is the following: which starting hand is most likely to end up being a winning hand? When we talk about hands, we are referring to any type of hand available in this card game, including those that can be obtained by splitting the cards that were received in the initial round.
It is important that you understand that we are always talking about probabilities. This does not mean that an initial hand with a high percentage of winning options cannot, in the end, be surpassed by another with lower initial probabilities. We have ordered and described the highest value starting hands in blackjack , which are as follows (low to high):
- 18 soft
- 11 hard
- 20 hard
- 20 soft
- Blackjack or 21
18 SOFT BLACKJACK
The soft 18 or soft 18 (would add an AS + 7) has a value of 0.39 on the player’s original bet. This means that in the long term, the player’s benefits would rise to $ 39.9 for every $ 100 wagered. Therefore, the chances of winning this hand without having to take any other action are quite high, especially if the casino in which you participate forces the bank to stand on achieving 17.
11 HARD BLACKJACK
The next blackjack starting hand with the most winning options is hard 11 or hard 11, either by combining any of these pairs of cards: 8-3, 9-2, 7-4 and 6-5. These totals are worth 0.6674 of the player’s original bet. This means that, in the long term, the bettor’s profit would be $ 66.74 for every $ 100 wagered. This requires the player to follow the adjusted index numbers and double the bet when the situation requires it, something that will happen in most cases.
20 HARD BLACKJACK
The intermediate hand in terms of probabilities of winning of the five that we are going to see is the hard 20 or hard 20, which is achieved by adding two tens. These totals are worth 0.7918 on the original bet for the player. This means that the user’s benefits would be $ 79.18 for every $ 100 wagered. This requires that the player never divide the tens. The division of both cards in some cases is mathematically justified, but it attracts too much attention and it is not really interesting to take it into account, since this hand is only surpassed by natural blackjack, which we will discuss at final.
20 SOFT BLACKJACK
The second most powerful blackjack hand we will talk about now is the 20 soft or 20 soft, consisting of an AS + 9. This has a total value of 0.7918 on the original bet (exactly the same as the sum of tens of the one we talked about earlier) for the player. This means that the bettor will win $ 79.18 for every $ 100 wagered. Like the previous hand, considering splitting these cards would be interesting on limited occasions.
BLACKJACK OR 21
To finish, we must say that the most profitable type of hand in this card game is natural 21 or blackjack. In the traditional blackjack game, the payout of a natural 21 is 3: 2 or 1.5 times the player’s original bet. This move is made up of an AS and a card with a value of 10 (10, J, Q or K). This hand never loses, it can only win or draw. Therefore, the probability of winning with this hand is the highest you can find.
