If you are new to the world of blackjack then you are going to have to put some time into learning the basic strategy chart. This is a chart that is made up of the two-hundred-and-seventy different combinations possible in the game. You aren’t going to have to memorize it- that would be a huge task- but you do have to have a good idea of how to maneuver a hand when you are in the midst of a heated game of blackjack. One of the best ways is to take the total strategy chart and put it up into four different categories. First, the hard totals are important. These are the hands that include what to do when you have an eight through twenty valued hand. You will have to hit, double, or stand. This is a great general rule of thumb to memorize too because it brings a huge array of hands together in one basic rule chart. The hard total of course is when you have a hand that has an Ace valued at one. If you can group those moves together it will make memorizing what to do that much easier. Then there are the soft hands. You can cut the basic strategy chart up to give you an easier time of managing it. The soft total part of the chart is going to tell you what to do when you have an Ace and a two through nine combination hand.
There next is the part of the chart that tells you what to do when you have a pair splitting situation. You may have to hit, stand, double or split the hands. This part of the chart is the most helpful because it will tell you what to do based on the hard totals of what you are holding. Finally there is the chart for using just one deck. You are going to find the same three categories to work with and the hands are much easier to keep track of. Test your own luck and skill with some good studying of the strategy chart in various configurations. Cutting it down is one of the easiest ways to keep on track with what you should and shouldn’t do throughout the game.