Blackjack winning strategies always take the dealer's upcard into account and advise players to play each hand as efficiently as possible. The player should continue drawing until they have a total of 17 or more when the dealer's upcard is a strong one, such as an ace, 7, 8, 9, or 10. The player should stop drawing as soon as he receives a total of 12 or higher when the dealer's upcard is a poor 4, 5, or 6. You should never accept a card in this situation if there's even a remote possibility that you could become bankrupt. With this weak holding, the plan is to let the dealer hit and hopefully go over 21.

The player should stop with a total of 13 or higher if the dealer's up card is a fair one, like a 2 or 3.

Generally speaking, you should continue striking with a soft hand until you get a total of at least 18. With an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would therefore hit rather than stop at 17.

The player should always double down when their total is 11. The player should double down if the dealer does not reveal an ace or ten-card and the player has a total of 10. In all other cases, a player with a total of 9 shouldn't double unless the dealer's card is fair or poor (2–6).

As pairs of fives or two identical tens add up to 10, they are best used for doubling down and should never be split. Rather, players ought to split pairs of eights or aces at all times. Additionally, a pair of 4s shouldn't be divided because 8 is a useful sum to work with. Unless the dealer has an 8, 9, ten, or ace, 2s, 3s, or 7s can usually be split. Lastly, unless the dealer's card is weak (2 through 6), 6s shouldn't be split.