Do You Hit 12 Against a 3?

Hitting and standing can sometimes be a difficult decision to make. One wrong move and you could lose all your bets.

This sometimes leads gamblers to borrow money from shark loans to crawl their way back up.

Do you hit 12 against a 3? You should always consider hitting a 12 against a 3. If you think that you shouldn’t hit, then you are making a big mistake.

In this text, I will briefly discuss why you should hit 12 against a 3.

Why You Shouldn’t Stand With 12 Against a 3

Some players say that whenever they hit their 12 against a dealer’s 3, they bust. This makes them stand and let the dealer take the bust.

This is a play that confounds average players because they are led to believe that they shouldn’t take risks.

When you hit once a 12, you can bust only if you draw 10. The chances of this happening are 4 out of 13 on average.

This means that 9 out of 13 times, you can survive the draw and not bust.

Different Hand Play

In five cards, the 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 can give you a pat hand of 17-21. This will provide you with more cards that can help you. Also, the dealer’s chances of busting are lower than you think.

When a dealer’s hand is a 3 upcard, they will break about 37% of the time.

If your hand is 9 and 13 (12) and the dealer is holding a 3 upcard, they will be reluctant to hit.

The dealer will be afraid to draw a 10 and bust, especially if they show a weak upcard. In this 6 and 5 (11) position vs. the dealer’s 10, players will be averse to doubling down.

Players will fear that the dealer has a 10 in the hole and a 20.

Players Are Dealt With 12

Regardless of the strategy used, players must always consider their hand’s total value and the dealer’s upcard.

Players can form such a hand with the subsequent combinations of 2-10, 2-8, 3-9, 5-7, 6-6, and A-A.

This is to look for the simplest possible choice they can make. Let us consider when gamblers come with a hand 12 opposing every possible upcard of the dealer.

Both hard 13 and hard 12 are losing hands for the gambler. How they’re played depends on the strength of the card the dealer has shown.

If the upcard is strong, players should adopt a more aggressive approach and vice versa.

With hard 12, you’ve got a choice from splitting once you hold A-A and 6-6.

Also, you can hit and stand with the opposite card combinations that cause this difficult total. Doubling is out of the picture because it’s anything but an honest move with hard 12.

Good thing for blackjack rookies that the optimal playing strategy for unpaired hard 12 isn’t influenced by playing conditions and deck number.

The right moves coincide across all blackjack variations, such as European games that are short on hole cards.

When the dealer’s upcard is 4, 5, or 6, the player should stand. If the dealer has the other card, the players should hit.

The reason is that when the dealer shows 4 through 6, these upcards end for the dealer as very high bust rates.

On the other hand, the dealer probabilities of busting with a 5 and a 6 are even higher, at 41.8% and 42.3%.

This is often why you should stand on your hard 12 versus small upcards 4 through 6, wishing that there is no dealer bust, and hit versus the opposite upcards because they improve the dealer’s situation.

Take note that the position of a player who holds a tough 12 isn’t enviable, either. Generally, hard 12 through hard 16 are many of the lousiest hands with which you’ll grind to a halt.

These are long-term losers against most dealer upcards. It doesn’t matter whether you choose to face or hit.

You’ll see this from the figures within the table below, as estimated by gambling expert Michael Shackleford.

An example is a 12 against a weak 6 and a robust dealer 10 during a common multi-deck variant, wherein the dealer stands on soft 17.

Hard 12 offers poor odds to the player no matter what upcard they’re up against.

It is sensible that the simplest playing decision is the one that yields rock-bottom negative expectations for you.

2 or 3 Dealer’s Up Card

You should know that when the player’s hand totals 12, the dealer’s upcard is either 2 or 3.

They have to be extra cautious and remember the way to proceed during this situation. In the worst-case scenario, players can draw any of the face cards or a 10, which can inevitably end in their going bust.

The possibility that the players’ hand will cause this unfortunate outcome isn’t small. The chance is 4 out of 13, or roughly 30% of the time.

Players have to specialize in the cards – leave them with an influencing hand – a 7, an 8, or a 9. If gamblers are lucky enough to urge any of them, it guarantees them a complete minimum of 19.

Moreover, the cards remaining within the deck won’t end in a loss for the players.

Players aren’t within the worst position with hand 12. Holding hard 15 or hard 16 is much more terrible, for instance.

The Facts

Basic playing strategies are logics that players should understand and practice to master. However, some of the basic strategy plays are not so intuitive, which is often the reason why players misplay them.

Blackjack has a rule that states you should never risk a bust when the dealer shows a weak upcard. This may be correct for some stiff hands. However, it is not always the case when your hand is a 12 against a 3.

You can find only four cards that can bust your 12: the 10, jack, queen, or king. Five cards will get you to 17-21 (5, 6, 7, 8, or 9). In this case, more cards will place you into the safe 17-21 zone.

Conclusion

You will never get rich on 12 against 3, despite your gaming strategy. However, hitting 12 against 3 is better than standing.

Compared to standing, it will let you save more money in the long run. It is better to lose 10% of your bet than to lose it all.