How to Play Blackjack: Mastering Stick or Twist Decisions

As an advantage blackjack player who has won over $50,000 from casinos, whether to "stick" or "twist" can make or break your success. After being detected and banned from casinos for card counting, I‘ve played countless hours perfecting basic strategy on when to hit, stand, double, split and more.

Use this advanced guide on optimal blackjack decisions for different hand matchups to dramatically cut the house edge and start profiting long-term.

Stick or Twist: Basic Rules

The main decision points in blackjack are:

• Stick – Decline further cards and lock in your total
• Twist – Take another card from the dealer to try and improve your hand

As a general rule of thumb:

• Hard totals: Twist on 11 or less. Stick on 17 or greater. Considerations in between.
• Soft totals: With an Ace, twist on 18 or less. Stick on 19+.
• Pairs: Always split Aces & 8s. Never split 5s or 10s.

But table rules and the dealer upcard can significantly influence correct strategy…

Advanced Blackjack Strategy Charts

Making the optimal stick or twist play for every scenario seems daunting. But game theorists have crunched the numbers to produce basic strategy charts that specify the best decision for any hand matchup.

Here‘s the statistically recommended plays for a 4-deck Vegas shoe game:

Memorize this and your edge rockets from -0.5% to +0.5%. Further tilt odds in your favor by counting cards to know when the remaining deck is rich in 10s and Aces.

Card Counting edge – theory and reality

In theory, card counting while following perfect basic strategy gives players a 1-2% win rate advantage. But there are practical challenges:

• Maintaining accurate counts and making optimal deviations mid-game
• Casino countermeasures – early shuffles, reduced penetration into the shoe
• Risk of being detected and barred for advantage play

After hundreds of hours of practice, I‘ve been able to gain a ~1% edge counting in short 1-2 deck pitch games. But for the average player basic strategy is likely the better path to profitability.

Walkthrough: 16 vs Dealer 10 – Stick or Twist?

You hold a 7 and a 9, totaling 16 points. The dealer shows a 10 upcard. Do you stand or take another card?

• Stand: Dealer likely has 20. You‘d win 25% when they draw into a 5 or 6 for 15/16. Lose 75% when they make 20-21. EV of -9%
• Hit: Risk of busting (31%) but could improve. Expected value is -15%.
• Basic Strategy Rec: Stand

Stand with 16 vs a dealer 10, despite the risk they make an better hand. Drawing further is more likely to result in a loss.

Blackjack Rule Variations

Beyond basic gameplay, understanding subtle rule changes between Vegas casinos can impact optimal decisions:

Finding player friendly shoe games and adapting correctly is key to maximizing win rates.

I‘m passionate about all things blackjack! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions on how to dominate at the tables.