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Lesson 2.1 Basic strategy
Stiff hands: how to play hard 12 to 16
In this lesson you learn when to stand and when to hit with every hard hand from 12 to 16, against each dealer up card. You will also see why the chart hits 16 against a dealer 10, even though the next card can bust you.
What a stiff hand is
A stiff hand is a hard total of 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16. Hard means the hand has no ace counted as 11.
With a stiff hand, one more card can make you bust – go over 21 and lose your bet.
- A 10 and a 2 is hard 12.
- A 9 and a 4 is hard 13.
- A 10 and a 4 is hard 14.
- An 8 and a 7 is hard 15.
- A 10 and a 6 is hard 16.
An ace and a 5 is soft 16, not a stiff hand. The ace counts as 11 unless that would bust the hand, then as 1, so one more card cannot bust it.
A pair – two cards of the same value – such as two 6s, two 7s or two 8s also makes 12, 14 or 16. Play these hands by the pairs row of the chart, not by this lesson.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
- Pair of 6s: split against 2–6, hit against 7–A.
- Pair of 7s: split against 2–7, hit against 8–A.
- Pair of 8s: split against every up card, 2–A.
Split means you turn the two cards into two separate hands, each with its own bet. Card values are on the card values page, and splits are on the when to split page.
The rule: stand against 2–6, hit against 7–A
Look at the dealer's up card – the dealer card you can see. For hard 13 to 16, the chart gives the same answer.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| Dealer up card | Hard 13–16 |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Stand |
| 7, 8, 9, 10, A | Hit |
With a 2 to 6 showing, the dealer busts more often. You stand, and the dealer must draw.
Dealer up card along the bottom; how often the dealer goes over 21 above each bar (6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, before any check for blackjack).
The dealer busts 43.9% of the time with a 6, but only 21.2% with a 10. Both numbers are counted before the dealer checks for blackjack.
Read the dealer's up card first, then your total. The up card decides the move for every stiff hand.
The one exception: hard 12
Hard 12 follows the same rule, with one change. Against a dealer 2 or 3, you hit.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | H | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
- Dealer 2 or 3: hit.
- Dealer 4, 5 or 6: stand.
- Dealer 7 to A: hit.
Against a 2 or 3 the dealer busts less often than against 4–6, so hitting loses less.
Why you hit 16 against a dealer 10
Hard 16 against a 10 is a hand you will lose more often than you win. The chart picks the move that loses less over many hands.
| Move | Average result per bet |
|---|---|
| Hit | −0.535 |
| Stand | −0.540 |
Both numbers are losses. Hitting loses a little less, so the chart says hit.
You can check other hands in the hit or stand calculator.
Do not stand on 16 against a 10 just because hitting feels risky. Follow the chart, then practice in the trainer below.
The full chart is on the basic strategy chart page.
Practise: 25 hands
Only hands from this lesson. Your first answer counts.
The lesson on one card
- Stiff hands are hard 12 to 16; one more card can bust you.
- Hard 13 to 16: stand against a dealer 2–6.
- Hard 13 to 16: hit against a dealer 7–A.
- Hard 12: stand only against 4, 5 or 6; hit against everything else.
- Pairs of 6s, 7s and 8s follow the pairs row, not the stiff hand rule.
- Hitting 16 against a 10 loses less on average than standing.
Check yourself
1. You have hard 15 (an 8 and a 7). The dealer shows a 9. What does the chart say?
Hit
Right. Hard 15 hits against a dealer 7 to A. A 9 is in that group.
Stand
Not quite. You stand on 15 only against a dealer 2 to 6. A 9 is a strong up card.
Double
Not quite. The chart never doubles a stiff hand. Doubling is for totals like 9, 10 and 11.
2. Why does the chart say hit on hard 16 against a dealer 10?
Hitting wins more often than it loses
Not quite. Both moves lose more often than they win with 16 against a 10. The chart picks the smaller loss.
Hitting loses less on average than standing
Right. The average result of hitting is −0.535 per bet, and standing is −0.540. Hitting is the smaller loss.
The dealer busts most of the time with a 10
Not quite. The dealer busts only 21.2% of the time with a 10, counted before the check for blackjack. That is why standing does not work well here.
3. You have hard 12 (a 7 and a 5). The dealer shows a 3. What is the move?
Stand, because the dealer shows a weak card
Not quite. Hard 12 is the exception. It stands only against a dealer 4, 5 or 6.
Hit
Right. Hard 12 hits against a dealer 2 or 3. Against a 2 or 3 the dealer busts less often than against 4–6, so hitting loses less.
Hit only if you feel lucky
Not quite. Basic strategy does not depend on feelings. The chart gives one move for each hand and up card.