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In an Online Blackjack Game, an understanding of certain strategies stands crucial. One of such strategies that you need to learn how to play is the ‘Hard 16’. You will be given an insight into how this strategy can be played as well as the reasons as to why you need to know in this article.

What Exactly Is ‘Hard 16’ in Online Blackjack Game?

Basically, in an Online Blackjack game, a player is said to have a ‘Hard 16’ when he/she has a hand of two to three cards whose values add up to ‘16’. This hand may either have Aces or it may not have Aces. Where the hand has Aces, the Aces will have a value of ‘1’. 

Typically, ‘Hard 16’ hands (with 2 or 3 cards) include the following;

• Two card hand: A combination of cards with values of 7 and 9 or 10 and 6.
• Three card hand: A combination of cards with values of 7, 8 and Ace or say 7, 8 and Ace.

The Basic Strategy for Playing with a ‘Hard 16’ Hand

In every Online Blackjack game, you have a choice of any three playing options. You can either ‘Hit’, ‘Stand’ or you can ‘Surrender’. If you have a ‘Hard 16’, your choice would be reliant on both the game rules and the upward-facing card of the dealer. Whether you are playing a single-deck or double-deck Blackjack game online, you will need to decide on which choice of playing options to take whenever you have a ‘Hard 16’. 

Below-mentioned points explain as to how you can make the right playing options with a ‘Hard 16’, based on the game rules and the upward-facing card of the dealer.

For a single-deck Blackjack game:

• Surrender: In an Online Blackjack Game, you should ‘Surrender’ when the upward-facing card of the dealer is an Ace or a 10.
• Stand: You ‘Stand’ when the upward-facing card of the dealer has a value of between 2 and 6.
• Hit: You can ‘Hit’ when the upward-facing card of the dealer comprises of cards with a value of either 7, 8 or even 9.

For a double or multiple-deck Blackjack game:

• Surrender: You ‘Surrender’ whenever the value of the upward-facing card of the dealer is an Ace, 9 or 10.
• Stand: You should ‘Stand’ in Online Blackjack Game when the value of the upward-facing card of the dealer is between 2 and 6.
• Hit: You ‘Hit’ when the dealer has an upward-facing card with either a 7 or an 8 card value.

Note that when playing a double or multiple-deck Blackjack game, you can make use of the ‘Hit’ option when you have a ‘Hard 16’. However, this should only be done in a situation where the option to ‘Fold’ is not permitted.

Advanced Strategy for Playing with a ‘Hard 16’ Hand

There is also an advanced strategy for playing an Online Blackjack game when you have a ‘Hard 16’. In this case, you have to choose any one of the three playing options highlighted previously based on the number of cards that make up your ‘Hard 16’ hand. The strategy you implement for a ‘Hard 16’ hand made up of three cards would be different from a two-card ‘Hard 16’ hand. 

Where your ‘Hard 16’ hand is made up of three cards or more, you can stick to the basic strategy highlighted. However, you would have to ‘Stand’ with a ‘Hard 16’ if the dealer has an upward facing card with a value of ‘10’. 

Also, when playing a single-deck online Blackjack game, you ‘Hit’ rather than ‘Surrender’ when you have a ‘Hard 16’ hand comprising of a 7 and 9 card. This playing option is taken when the dealer has an Ace as his/her upward facing card. Furthermore, in a situation where your ‘Hard 16’ hand comes about by the split of a pair of cards, you should ‘Stand’ rather than ‘Hit’.

Why You Should Use the ‘Hard 16’ Strategies Highlighted?

The truth of the matter is, the ‘Hard 16’ hand in an Online Blackjack game is really not the best hand to have. This is because you are more likely to lose the hand and this is regardless of the strategy that you implement. That being said, the ‘Hard 16’ playing strategies would go a long way in helping you to minimise the losses you could have encountered while playing a game of Blackjack online.

You ‘Surrender’ on a ‘Hard 16’ when your odds of emerging a winner is in 1 of 4 possible hands. The long term benefits of playing ‘Hard 16’ strategies cannot be overemphasised, as you will get to save more money this way. The dealer has a high chance of ‘busting’ when the value of their upward facing card is between 2 and 6. This is why you need to ‘Stand’ with a ‘Hard 16’ hand. If you decide to draw a card and subsequently ‘bust’ your ‘Hard 16’ hand in this scenario, you will lose. A loss is inevitable in a round when you ‘bust’ your ‘Hard 16’ hand, regardless of whether the dealer decides to ‘bust’ or not.

The Blackjack dealer is unlikely to ‘bust’ when their upward-facing card is between 7 all the way to an Ace. So, it would be advisable for you to ‘Hit’ your ‘Hard 16’ especially where the option to ‘Surrender’ is not permitted. For a multiple-deck Online Blackjack game, deciding to ‘Stand’ rather than ‘Hit’ when the upward-facing card of the dealer has a value of 10 is the best possible ‘Hard 16’ strategy.

Finally, you should remember that with a ‘Hard 16’ hand, the right playing strategy to adopt would go along way in minimising your losses, especially in the long-run. So, before you decide to ‘Stand’, ‘Surrender’ or ‘Hit’, adhere to the strategies highlighted in this article and you will save yourself a whole lot of money at the end of the day in an Online Blackjack game.