This post is syndicated by the Las Vegas Advisor for the 888 casino group. Anthony Curtis comments on the 888 article introduced and linked to on this page.

AC says: The first step toward expert play in blackjack is learning basic strategy, which is the correct way to play your hands against all casino upcards, assuming there’s no additional information from using a count system or any other source. This article provides an interesting extension of learning basic by concentrating on just one dealer upcard. I’ve never thought about approaching the basic strategy learning process like this, but now that I see it, I like it. I suggest learning all of basic strategy first in the traditional manner, then rereading this article to lock in an even stronger grasp of proper play against a 9, especially the more obscure rules, like surrendering hard 16 except when playing a single- or double-deck game. I’m looking forward to additional articles from author Henry Tamburin that cover the other dealer upcards. Most important in this discussion is to understand that basic calls for hitting A7 vs. 9, which is a play that many don’t make. One correction: In the quiz, the answers to numbers 8 and 9 are switched — #8 should be Split and #9 should be Hit.

This article was written by Henry Tamburin Ph.D. in association with 888Casino.

How To Play Your Hands against a Dealer’s 9 Upcard

When a dealer shows a 9 upcard in blackjack, she has about a 77% chance of getting to a final hand that totals 17 through 21 and only a 23% chance of busting (depending on the number of decks shuffled).

A 9, therefore, is a strong card for the dealer, which means we have to be more aggressive when we’re dealt a stiff hand (hit rather than stand) and less aggressive when we’re dealt a two-card soft hand (hit rather than double down).

We also should surrender one hand, even when it means we forfeit half our bet. What follows is the accurate playing strategy for any hand when the dealer shows a 9 upcard.

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