Blackjack strategy
Splitting
Splitting may be used when a player hits two cards of the same value. To split a player places an equivalent bet next to the initial bet. Splitting means you are creating an additional hand for which the dealer should deal each hand another card. Splitting a bet is considered a good strategy if the paired cards are medium i.e. sixes, sevens and eights. It is not a good strategy when you pair high cards i.e. nines and tens. It is an ideal strategy when you pair aces.
It is important to remember that the game of online blackjack is a game of 21 and as a player your target is to get a hand of 21 without any possibility of busting. That is the reason why it would make sense splitting if you hit a pairing hand of medium numbers so that you avoid hard hands which increase your possibility of busting. Since the dealer may also not hit the blackjack, splitting is a strategy that enables you to move closest possible to 21 or to retreat back as much as possible like when you pair aces to make your hands soft.
Double Down
One of good blackjack odds is doubling down which is applicable when the player's starting hands add up to eleven. In such cases the player places an additional bet behind his cards to indicate that he or she wants to double down. The dealer then deals another pair of cards to the player who pairs the first hand in each pair with the second in the other pair. The objective is to get a ten or eleven and this strategy is informed by the value of the dealer's up card. If the dealer's up card is four, five or six then you can double down because there are no prospects of the dealer having the blackjack and you could be much closer to 21 than he may be able to get by doubling down.
Surrender
A player can surrender when he finds himself with a hard hand meaning that the next hit could cause him to bust while it is also risky to stand. This applies when the player has a hand of say 15 or 16 and the dealers up card is a jack meaning the dealer stands a great chance of having a blackjack or a hand higher than the player. Surrendering allows the player to loose half of his bet which is better than taking risk and loosing all your bet.
Insurance
The dealer can offer the player a chance to make an insurance bet of up to half the initial bet when the dealer has an ace.
An insurance implies that the dealer has a blackjack in which case the player risks loosing all his bet but can be paid the amount insured incase that happens. But the player looses both his bet and the insurance if it turns out the dealer does not the blackjack.
