Hit or Stand? It’s the eternal question facing all blackjack players. It’s almost as important as where to get the best casino bonus promotions. Of course, sometimes it’s an easy decision – like standing with two face cards – and sometimes it’s not so clear. We breakdown the best hands to hit on – based on what the dealer is showing - when you just don’t know what to do:

Dealer is showing an Ace
It may not matter what you pulled out of the shoe if the dealer is showing an Ace. If you’re on the fence with a hand like 15 or 16 – and maybe even 17 - you’ve got to man up and be aggressive. With the dealer not having a blackjack, there are still plenty of ways for them to take you down. You’re going to need at least an 18 or better to compete since they can pull nine, eight, seven, or six and still have a daunting hand.

Dealer is showing a 10-value card
The dealer just flipped a 10 or face card, which means they already have the upper hand on you. If they don’t have blackjack, there’s a 4-in-13 shot of them making a 20, so you’re going to need a very solid hand to contend. The dealer can also easily build a 19, 18 or 17, which means standing on 15 or 16 just isn’t going to cut it.

Dealer is showing a 2 or 3
For once, the odds are in your favor. The dealer has turned over a low-value card, in this case a two or three, which means they’re going to have to draw a ton of cards from the shoe to get back in the game. For players, this is a cautious situation. You should absolutely hit on anything eight or lower and are suggested to stand on a hand of 13 or higher.

The real trick is when you’re staring at a 12 – one of the toughest hands to gauge in blackjack. Twelve will bust on a one-card draw 4-in-13 times – just under 30 percent of the time – so if you’re a gambler (and you wouldn’t be playing online blackjack if you weren’t), you may want to bite your lip and hit just to give yourself more of a fighting chance if the dealer does somehow avoid a bust.