Here's the situation:
You're playing in a multiple deck game and receive a six and a ten for a two card total of 16, which you play against the dealer's upcard of seven. A 16 is not a great hand to have, obviously, and you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
- According to the basic strategy, surrender 16 against 10. If you're counting, then stand on 16 against 10 if the true count is 0 or higher. What do you do if the true count is negative? Do you hit or surrender? According to the basic strategy, surrender 15 against 10. If you're counting, then stand on 15 against 10 if the true count is 4 or higher.
- Nov 22, 2011 Hitting a 16 vs a 10 is only marginally better. With 16 you are going to lose most of your hands no matter how you play it you are going to bust the hand 62% if you hit it. But the 38% of the time that you draw a hand you will be much better off especially if drawing against a 7.
Dealer's Card is a 10, J, Q, or K. There is still a 1-in-13 chance that the dealer has a blackjack and a 4-in-13 chance of a 20. So you need a strong hand to compete. An 11 gives you a good chance of making a 21 with a hit. But you are still in the risk of busting and you should hit 10 or less, hit 12-16, and stand at 17+. Dealer's Card is a 7.
So your dilemma here is whether to hit or stand on this hand. - one which is probably misplayed by a lot of people. There is a tendency to be scared to hit a 16, and that's easy to understand since in all likelihood you're going to bust. But in reality, the best way to help yourself here is to hit the hand.
If you notice, the dealer has to play by strict rules in the casino which require him to hit on 16. And he winds up making hands to beat you, to the point where there is a house advantage to blackjack.
We're using the same principle here. By hitting hands we can 'make' hands, and there's no way we can preserve our bankroll in this case while employing a 'no bust' strategy.

- If you stand in this situation, you are going to win 26% of the time and lose 74%.
- If you hit, you'll win only 27% (still an improvement), and will lose less, to the tune of 67.5% (the rest are pushes).
So by hitting the hand, you are, for the most part, making an attempt to SAVE some of your bankroll.
Blackjack Hit Or Stand
US vs. THEM Blackjack Strategy Series
An Analysis
By Charles Jay
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Blackjack Hit 16 Vs 10 1
