An Introduction to Blackjack’s Composition-Dependent Strategy
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the world and is now widely available to play at any fully licensed and regulated online casino or land-based casino.
Many players take the time and effort to learn basic blackjack strategies to get as much of an edge over the house as possible. Basic blackjack strategy is knowing the best move to make when faced with certain situations.
Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at what is referred to as a basic blackjack composition-dependent strategy.
What is the composition-dependant blackjack strategy?
When playing blackjack at online casinos, players often use basic blackjack strategy charts to help them decide what the next best move would be after they have been dealt a certain hand.
Most charts are said to be ‘total dependant,’ meaning only the total value of your cards is considered, not the actual composition.
It also takes into account whether the hand is hard or soft and whether it’s possible to surrender, split, or double. This strategy is different for single-deck, two-deck, and four or more deck games.
‘Composition-dependent’ is a blackjack strategy that considers not only the total value of your cards but also the composition, and the best time to use this strategy is when playing single-deck blackjack. The fewer decks there are, the more effective this strategy is.
Composition is a term used to describe how something is made up, so in the case of blackjack; it means how many cards have been used to create that hand.
When playing a game of blackjack with only one deck of 52 cards from a smartphone or any other mobile device or PC that is Wi-Fi/internet connected, experienced players generally stand when their hand is worth 12 points against a 4.
However, when you take into account that the hand is composed of a 2 and a 10, the implied probability rate and associated odds will always favour taking another card (aka hitting).
In other words, the total-dependant strategy only cares about the hand’s total value. It doesn’t care which cards have been used to create the hand, only what that hand’s total value is. In comparison, the composition-dependent blackjack strategy takes both factors into account.
Blackjack is so complex because, with each new card a hand is dealt, the odds can dramatically change, unlike several other casino games with fixed odds that remain the same from the start to the end of the round.
For example, when using the composition-dependent strategy in a hand totalling 17, it could be composed of several different cards, say a 9, 5, and 3, a 10 and a 7, or an 8, 5 and a 4. Even though each hand totals 17, the next suggested move using this strategy will differ for each composition.
The hand composition (i.e., the cards that make up the hand) will require a new strategy for each new card that is dealt to your hand (and for what those newly dealt cards might be).
The number of cards in that hand also directly influences the odds of winning, which implies what your next move should be. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is and shouldn’t take too long for most players to learn.
In short, you will end up needing a huge amount of strategy cards for each possible outcome and the best possible strategy to use in each situation. Although it’s a reliable strategy, you will find that it is still usually just the hand’s total value that counts.
You are best off finding as many blackjack strategy cheat sheets as possible to give you a much better chance of winning, no matter what strategies you decide to learn and use.
Where can I play blackjack online and try out the composition-dependent strategy?
After learning certain basic blackjack strategies, including total-dependent and composition-dependent strategies, and getting your hands on several useful basic and advanced blackjack strategy cheat sheets that tell you what you should do when being dealt certain cards, your next step will be to find the best places to play blackjack online.
If you head over to the globally renowned Casinos.com iGaming review site, you can find a comprehensive list of around 90 fully licensed and regulated online casino sites.
All of their featured sites have a variety of blackjack games from some of the iGaming industry’s most notable game development studios and software providers.
You may want to start by reading the reviews for their top 10 blackjack sites and then comparing the reviews to determine which site might be the better fit for you.
What are the most popular blackjack games to play in 2024?
There are hundreds of computer-generated and live dealer online blackjack games to play in 2024. Some of the hottest titles to keep an eye out for at any of the featured casino sites include the following hit titles:
- Live Dealer Bellagio Blackjack by OnAir Entertainment
- Live Mega Fire Blaze Blackjack by Playtech
- Live New York New York Speed Blackjack by OnAir Entertainment
- Multihand Blackjack by Play’n GO
- Back Blackjack by Golden Rock Studios
- Ruby VIP Blackjack by Pragmatic Play
- Salon Prive Blackjack by Evolution Gaming
If that’s not enough to keep you going, try European Blackjack Gold by Microgaming/Games Global, Lucky Ladies Blackjack by Felt, 3D Blackjack by Iron Dog Studio, and Vinnie Jones Blackjack by Real Dealer, to name just a few.
Final note
Computer-generated online casino games are often available in the real money AND free-play modes. In contrast, live dealer games are only ever available in the real money mode. Finally, don’t forget that you must be at least 18 years old to play ANY online casino games, whether you decide to play in the free-play or real money mode.