Once split, you must play your leftmost hand first, by hitting or standing one or more times.Your original bet goes on one of the pairs, and you must stake an equal amount on the other hand. two 7s), you can choose to ‘split’ them into two separate hands. When your first two cards have the same value (e.g.Want to learn more blackjack lingo? See our glossary of blackjack terms. And at William Hill, we’ve turned this data into simple blackjack strategy charts for both single-deck and 4-8 deck versions of the game – to help you decide how to play any blackjack hand.īrush up on your basic blackjack rules – read our ‘ how to play blackjack’ guide. Should you ‘hit’ when dealt a hand of ‘17’? Do you know when to split, double down or surrender? Take your decision-making skills to the next level with our basic blackjack strategy.īasic blackjack strategy is derived from computer simulations, which have determined the best blackjack play in every possible situation.