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Microgaming composition dependent exceptions


• Two cards
• Three cards
• Four cards
• Five cards
• Six cards


In single deck blackjack, the effect of the removal of certain cards in certain situations is sufficiently great to enable strategic alterations to be made that marginally improve the expected return. For example: basic strategy says to stand on a 12 against a dealer 4. However, if the 12 is composed of a ten and a two, that ten card reduces by 25% the chance of busting with the draw of another card - there now being only three 10 cards remaining in the deck as opposed to four. Hence, although basic strategy says to stand, composition dependent strategy says to hit.

The sum total of all the composition-dependent variations doesn't amount to more than a few tenths of a percent, but in the context of the Microgaming single deck game the house edge is already sufficiently low for those few tenths extra to make a respectable difference - 99.87% becomes 99.90%. It would be an almost impossibly hard slog to learn each one of the variations, but if you want to shave the house edge down at least a bit more then learn a few of the simpler ones such as the two-card and three-card alterations - it makes the game more fun. Thanks again to The Wizard Of Odds for use of these charts.


Two Cards


Basic Strategy Changes: None

Exceptions:
TotalCardsDealerPlay
86+25Hit
6
127+53Stand
8+4
10+24Hit
6
1310+32



Three Cards


Basic Strategy Changes:

• 12 vs 3 = Stand
• 16 vs 10 = Stand

Exceptions:
TotalCardsDealerPlay
1310+2+A2Hit
155+5+510Stand
6+5+4
6+6+3
166+5+59
8+4+4
8+5+3
6+6+410Hit
7+6+3
8+6+2
9+6+A



Four Cards


Basic Strategy Changes:

• 12 vs 3 = Stand
• 16 vs 10 = Stand

Exceptions:
TotalCardsDealerPlay
12A+2+2+73Hit
A+2+3+6
A+3+3+5
2+2+2+6
2+2+3+5
2+3+3+4
15A+4+5+510Stand
A+3+5+6
A+2+6+6
162+4+5+57
2+4+5+5
3+3+5+5
3+4+4+5
4+4+4+4
A+5+5+58
2+4+5+5
3+3+5+5
3+4+4+5
4+4+4+4
4+4+4+49
5+4+4+3
5+5+3+3
5+5+4+2
5+5+5+A
6+4+4+2
6+5+4+A
8+3+3+2
8+4+2+2
8+4+3+A
8+5+2+A
9+5+A+A
9+4+2+A
6+6+2+210Hit
6+6+3+A
7+6+2+A
8+6+A+A
10+2+2+2
Soft 18A+2+2+3Stand



Five Cards


Basic Strategy Changes:

• 12 vs 3 = Stand
• 16 vs 10 = Stand
• 16 vs 9 = Stand

Exceptions:
TotalCardsDealerPlay
12A+A+3+3+43Hit
A+2+2+2+5
A+2+2+3+4
A+2+3+3+3
2+2+2+2+4
2+2+2+3+3
15A+A+A+6+610Stand
A+A+3+5+5
16A+A+4+5+57Stand
A+2+3+5+5
A+2+4+4+5
A+3+3+4+5
A+3+4+4+4
2+2+2+5+5
2+2+3+4+5
2+2+4+4+4
2+3+3+3+5
2+3+3+4+4
3+3+3+3+4
A+A+4+5+58
A+2+3+5+5
A+2+4+4+5
A+3+3+4+5
A+3+4+4+4
2+2+2+5+5
2+2+3+4+5
2+2+4+4+4
2+3+3+3+5
2+3+3+4+4
3+3+3+3+4
10+3+A+A+A9Hit
7+6+A+A+A
10+2+2+A+A
7+5+2+A+A
6+6+2+A+A
7+4+3+A+A
7+4+2+2+A
7+3+3+2+A
6+3+3+3+A
7+3+2+2+2
6+3+3+2+2
6+3+3+2+210
7+6+A+A+A
10+2+2+A+A
6+6+2+A+A



Six Cards


Basic Strategy Changes:

• 12 vs 3 = Stand
• 16 vs 7 = Stand
• 16 vs 9 = Stand
• 16 vs 10 = Stand

Exceptions:
TotalCardsDealerPlay
123+3+3+A+A+A3Hit
3+3+2+2+A+A
3+2+2+2+2+A
4+2+2+2+A+A
156+5+A+A+A+A10Stand
16A+A+A+A+3+97Hit
A+A+A+A+6+6
A+A+A+2+2+9
A+A+A+3+5+58Stand
A+A+2+2+5+5
A+A+2+3+4+5
A+A+2+4+4+4
A+A+3+3+3+5
A+A+3+3+4+4
A+2+2+2+4+5
A+2+2+3+3+5
A+2+2+3+4+4
A+2+3+3+3+4
2+2+2+2+3+5
2+2+2+2+4+4
2+2+2+3+3+4
2+2+3+3+3+3
6+6+A+A+A+A9Hit
7+3+3+A+A+A
7+3+2+2+A+A
7+2+2+2+2+A
6+3+2+2+2+A
6+6+A+A+A+A10
6+3+2+2+2+A



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