Multi-Deck-Blackjack Strategies for Beginners

Blackjack has come a long way from being a card game played with a single-deck comprising of 52 cards. Single-deck casino games are now offered by most casinos as being susceptible to card counters. Card counters could easily and quite accurately predict the number of high-ranking playing cards still remaining in a single deck. 

However, Multi-deck involves the use of more than one 52 card deck. You can play a 4 deck, 6 deck or even 8 deck game these days. The idea behind multiple deck games is to make it difficult for card counters to gain an ‘advantage play’ in a game. But regardless of whether it is a single of Multi-deck- game you choose to play, the rules are basically one and the same. 

How to Play a Multi-Deck Blackjack Game? 

The objective is to beat the dealer by having a ‘hand’ (one with card values add up to ‘21’) or by just having a ‘better-hand’ (one with a higher value, but not above ‘21’) compared to that of the dealer. The ‘hand’ usually earns a player a 3:2 payout while an ‘even-money’ payout (1:1) is earned for a ‘better-hand’.

Players get dealt a couple of playing cards at the beginning of the game. The dealer is also dealt with this number of cards. The difference here is, one of the dealer’s two cards will face up while the other faces down (hidden from view). 

There are decisions that then need to be taken and these include the decision to ‘Hit’ (request for more cards), ‘Stand’ (maintain the cards already dealt out to you), ‘Double Down’, ‘Split’ or ‘Surrender’. The decks are shuffled using an automated shuffling device or shuffler which makes it even more tedious for card counters to decipher.

Playing the multiple deck games like the single-deck also comes with some pretty impressive strategies. This article highlights some basic strategies that newbies to the game when playing Multi-deck.

Basic Multi-Deck Strategies

These are basic multi-deck strategies that you can apply when playing 4 to 8 deck games. You can use these strategies in a situation where a dealer decides to either ‘Stand’ or ‘Hit’ when he/she has a soft ‘17’ hand.

Strategies That Can Be Used When the Dealer ‘stands’ on the Soft ‘17’

Below is a strategy that you can be applied in a multi-deck Blackjack game where the dealer decides to ‘Stand’ on the soft ‘17’ hand and when the decision to ‘Surrender’ is permitted in the game.

When to Surrender:

• ‘Surrender’ if you have a hard ‘16’ and the dealer’s face-up card is either an Ace, ‘10’ or ‘9’ card.
• Also, ‘Surrender’ if you have a hard ‘15’ and the dealer’s upward-facing card is ‘10’.

Note: You do not ‘Surrender’ if you have a pair of ‘8s’.

When to Split:

• You need to ‘Split’ whenever you have ‘8s and Aces.
• Do not ‘Split’ when on the soft  ‘10s’ and ‘5s’.
• If a dealer’s upcard value is between ‘4’ and ‘7’, you can ‘Split’ ‘3s’ and ‘2s’. Also, you can ‘Split’ if the dealer’s upcard is a ‘3’ or ‘2’, but only when ‘Double After Split’ or DAS is permitted in the multi-deck game.
• You should ‘Split’ ‘4s’ when the dealer’s upcard is either a ‘6’ or ‘5’ and DAS is permitted.
• ‘Split’ ‘6s’ when the dealer’s upcard is between ‘3 and ‘6’. Also, ‘Split’ ‘6s’ when DAS is permitted and the dealer’s upcard is ‘2’.
• You can ‘Split’ ‘7s’ where the dealer’s upcard is between ‘2’ and ‘7’.
• You should also ‘Split’ ‘9s’ when the dealer’s upcard is between ‘2’ and ‘6’ or ‘8’ and ‘9’.
  

When to Double:

• You should ‘Double’ on a hard ‘9’ when the dealer’s upcard is between ‘3’ and ‘6’.
• Double on a hard ‘10’ on less the dealer’s upcard is either an Ace or ‘10’.
• Double on a hard ‘11’ on less the dealer’s upcard in the multi-deck game is an Ace.
• Double on either a soft ‘14’ or ‘13’ when the dealer’s upcard is either a ‘6’ or a ‘5’.
• Double on the soft ‘16’ or ‘15’ when the dealer’s upcard is between ‘4’ and ‘6’.
• Double on the soft ‘18’ or ‘17’ when the dealer’s upcard is between ‘3’ and ‘6’.

When to ‘hit’/’stand’:

• You should ‘Hit ’ whenever you have a hard ‘11’ hand or less.
• Make sure to ‘Stand’ when you have a hard ‘12’ hand in a situation where the dealer shows a hand of between ‘4’ and ‘6’. If this is not the case, then you should ‘Hit’.
• ‘Stand’ at all times when you have a hard ‘17’ hand or better.
• ‘Hit’ at all times when you have a soft ‘17’ hand or less.
• ‘Stand’ when you hold a soft ‘18’ hand. But you should ‘Hit’ when the dealer’s upcard is any one of Ace, ‘10’ or ‘9’.
• You should ‘Stand’ at all times when you have a soft ‘19’ hand or better in a multi-deck game.
  

Strategies That Can Be Used When the Dealer ‘hits’ on the Soft ‘17’

Where the dealer decides to ‘Hit’ on the soft ‘17’ hand and the decision to ‘Surrender’ is permitted in the game, you can adopt the following strategies:

• You should ‘Surrender’ when you have a hand of ‘17’, ‘15’ or a pair of ‘8s’ and the dealer’s upcard in the Multi-deck Blackjack game is an Ace.
• ‘Double’ when you hold an ‘11’ and the dealer’s upcard is an Ace. 
• ‘Double’ when you have a soft ‘19’ and the dealer’s upcard is a ‘6’.

Finally, whenever you play a Multi-deck game you should avoid taking ‘even-money’ or ‘Insurance’. When you are playing 6 deck games in which the dealer alternates between making a ‘Stand’ and hitting on the soft ‘17’, you should use the strategies for when the dealer decides to ‘Stand’ on the soft ‘17’ hand as it is much more cost-effective.