Should you always hit a 12 in blackjack?

Question

I've read it's optional...even with a dealer's 10 showing. Does anyone know the actual odds on hitting vs. not hitting a 12 with a dealer showing a 10,J,Q,K or A? Chili www.sdcasinoreview.com

Answer 1

If the dealer is showing a 10, J, Q, K or A, you should always hit unless you have 17 or higher.  Always.  As far as hitting on a 12, if you want to play by basic strategy, which is based purely on odds, you hit when the dealer is showing an A, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, or face card.  If you think about it, hitting on a 12, what are all the possible outcomes?  If you get an A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, you are in the clear.  If you get a 10, J, Q, or K then you bust, right?  So out of 13 possibilites, 9 of those result in NOT busting.  Would you rather have a 9:13 chance or a 4:13 chance?

The only point I wish to make, is if you are card-counting, and the deck is in your favor (more tens and aces left in the deck) you might not want to hit on a 12.  Then again, if the dealer is showing a ten and the odds are there are more tens and aces left in the deck, the dealer probably has another 10 not showing.  This is an either-way you're screwed situation,  but if you ALWAYS play to strategy, you greatly reduce the casino's edge on the game.

Answer 2

Hit a 12 unless the dealer has a 4, 5, or 6 showing.

http://wizardofodds.com/blackjack

I do not know the actual odds on hitting vs. not hitting a 12 with a dealer showing a 10,J,Q,K or A but I know they are significant. I can say that because a card counter may vary his play depending on the count for a dealers 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 but will never vary play if the dealer is showing a 10, J, Q, K or A.

Answer 3

Hit it against 2,7,8,9,10,A

Answer 4

Jason and Ryne have no clue about the game of Blackjack.  That is clearly evident in their answers!  In normal play, if your hand has the potential to bust (hard 12 or higher) and the dealer is showing a 'bust card'  (4,5,6) then you NEVER hit...EVER!  I prefer to let the dealer bust instead of me busting.  

Use a strategy card like the one found at http://GamblingReviewsSite.com/casinogam...  It will help you a lot.  Hitting a 12 is 'optional', but not in the sense that you mean.  If the dealer shows 7 or more then you always hit it.  If the dealer is showing an Ace or a Face card than you definitely should hit it in every instance known to man.  If you are counting and the deck is rich in faces, then you have to know that the dealer will have at least a 7 under his Ace or Face.  This makes you 12 a loser.  You will see lots of people playing this game that have no clue about the basic strategy and they try to guess what card is coming next.  I liken it to picking a stock at random and investing your savings there.  Why would you risk money on a game that you don't understand is beyond me.  You are doing the right thing and asking before you lose it all (quickly) and wonder "What happened?"  Stick to basic strategy and you will have the best chance of keeping your money longer...you may even get lucky and win. :)  It is also a lot more enjoyable when you know what you are going to do in every situation possible, that way you won't stress yourself out by trying to guess if you should hit, stay, double, or split.  You can even print the strategy card out and bring it with you to the table.  Casinos don't mind.  Good luck!

Answer 5

Everything is in a way "opyional" in the game of blackjack, the correct play is the play that will win the most money back to you on average, you dont have to do it though.

For a hard 12, you shoudl hit when the dealer is showing a 2,3,7,8,9,10, or ACE and stand on all other cards to win the most amount of money whenevr you are dealt a 12.  If the 12 consists of 2 aces you shoudl split them.

In terms of the odds for hitting and standing, they are gauged by measuring the percentage of your bet that you will lose or win for each action, example a hit may win 43% of your bet on average, while a stand may only win 40% on average making hitting the better option.  Below i will list the percentages for each option of hitting or standing on a 12 in decimal form from charts found at http://wizardofodds.com, also note that if yo are expecting to lose money, the number will be negetive, and the number that is LESS negetive will be the correct play since you will lose less money.

12vs...

card   Stand   Hit

2     -30%     -25%

3     -25%     -23%

4     -21.110%  -21.116%  

5     -16%     -19%

6     -15%     -17%

7     -48%     -21%

8     -51%     -27%

9     -54%     -34%

10   -54%     -38%

A    -67%     -35%

You can see with the exception of 12vs 2,4,5,or 6 the difference in EV is 5% or more meaning that a mistake in playing strategy will cost you on average 5 dollars or more for every 100 you bet on these hands.   One mistake with a 100 dollar bet on the table will hypothetically cost you 5 dollars which is why playing strategy is so important for not losing money, and its also why casinos make a killing of the game because almost nobody knows how to play it properly.

Also in case you dont understand the above data,  a mistake on not hitting vs a 9 ten or ace will cost you a large amount of money on average so it shoudl in no way be viewed as optional unless you dont mind losing money at ~140% the normal rate.

Also since you all seem to be guessing at card counters changing these plays I will confirm that it is comon to change strategy for the plays 12v2, 12vs,3 12vs4, 12v5, and 12vs6

You can learn more about basic blackjack playing strategy by visiting  and playing their awsomely educatonal game http://www.hitorstand.net

Answer 6

You have to assume that the dealer has a 10 underneath.  If he has 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K  you must hit.

Answer 7

yes you should always hit until u are above 17 because those are your best odds