One of the biggest things that makes me cringe when I am playing blackjack in a casino is when people hit their own 16 when the dealer is showing 6 on his or her hand. This is frustrating since the dealer most likely has 16. The odds of busting are very good, so it is better to let the dealer bust than you to bust. You may get the five you want, but most likely, you are going to bust. Since the dealer has to hit 16 no matter what you have, they are likely to bust. Don’t feel like you have to hit even if you have 13 and the dealers is showing 6. I never hit if the dealer is showing 4 or more and if I have 11 or more. If there is any possibility that I am going to bust, I leave that chance to the dealer. The odds are very good that he or she will bust a lot of the time.
When you go to a blackjack table, you should also think about when you should hit or stay when the dealer is showing 7 or more. If you have less than 7 and the dealer is showing 7 or more, the book says to hit. The safe thing to do with playing blackjack is to always assume that the dealer has a 10 in the down card. There is a chance it is something else, but statistics say it is a 10 more than anything else most of the time.