One of the most common mistakes made by any gambler in a game of blackjack online, is when they get a starting hand of 12 and the dealer has an up-card showing ‘2’.
Most players will blunder when they face this hand because they are worried they will draw a 10, and they will bust.
However, there are plenty of reasons why you should still play a 12 hand, a 12 hand is not that bad, but when you first play it, it can be very intimidating. We cannot say it is the hardest hand in the game to play, but it is one that can make you feel a bit stuck.
So, how do you play your 12 hands in blackjack?
Well, when you are dealt a 12 hand you have 2 options, hit or stand. You needn’t consider any other playing options. So, why should you do these plays?
Why Should You Stand On A Hard 12?
Well, if you are considering standing, you should know that this can be a tricky hand. You should stand when the dealer has an up card of anything 4 through 6. If they get 4 through 6 and they draw a 10 card, they need to take another hit and then likely bust.
It can be a bit of a long shot, however, a simple blackjack strategy would suggest that this is the best way for you to play this.
Of course, if you decide to hit, you could get a 10 and this would lead to a bust, so this is often why people decide to stand in this scenario.
This strategy is often used for tens as well.
Why Should You Hit On A Hard 12?
However, you needn’t just stand, you can hit. If the dealer has anything other than 4,5, or 6 then the odds of busting will decrease, and it makes more sense to hit on a hard 12 than it does to stand.
Sure, we admit, you could have been dealt a much better hand, and most of us dread getting a hard 12 in a game of blackjack and then ending up needing to make a difficult decision.
However, hitting on anything other than 4,5, or 6, makes a lot of sense and you are more likely to win.
Fear Of Hitting Your 12
Most of the time, when a player is given a 12 hand, and the dealer shows a 2 card, they stand. The reasoning is that they are too worried to hit the 12 and end up with a 10, busting when the dealer has a weak 2 and could even have a 10 hidden away but also bust.
But the truth is that when you hit 12, only 4 cards out of a whole deck would lead to a bust for you. Only a 10, jack, queen, or king card will lead to a bust. However, you could have 5 options that could get you to 17,18,19, 20, or 21!
If you got a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, you could have a much higher chance of winning!
Basically, the reason not to be so afraid of a hit is that there are actually more cards that will get you a good hand than bust it.
Also, when dealers have an up card showing 2, they usually are not quite as ‘weak’ as they may seem, the frequency in which a dealer busts on a 2 card is only 35%, in comparison to other cards. So, they actually make a good hand 13 times out of 20 times.
Hitting A 12 Against A 2
Imagine you are playing a game with 6 decks, and the dealer has a soft 17, and you get 2 cards that make 12 and the dealer has a 2 up card.
If you were to stand you will be averaged to lose 64.8% of the hands, however if you hit you will lose 62.6% on average. You’re still a net loser no matter which way you play, however.
So, if you bet $10 for each wager, then you would lose $29 on average over 100 hands if you stood on a 12 each time. However, if you hit on your 12 each time for 100 hands you would lose $25.
Although these two options are not extremely different, you may as well go with the option that will lose you the least amount of money over the long term.
What If It Is A Multi-Card 12?
Let’s not forget that sometimes a 12 hand can be made up of 3 play cards. You could have a 5,3, and a 4, or you could have a 2, 3, A, and 6. Whatever the case, you should still use basic strategy even when you have a 12 hand made up of 3 or 4 cards.
Always hit when the dealer has a 2 up card and you have a 12, even though it is risky, you have better odds and will lose less money in the long run this way.