Blackjack basic strategy

Which rules does this basic strategy chart use?

Basic strategy compares the average results of the available moves. It helps you avoid costly decisions; it cannot promise a winning hand or session. Different table rules can change the recommendation.

This guide uses the rules of our blackjack table:

• Six decks; the dealer stands on every 17, including soft 17 (S17).
• A natural blackjack pays 3:2. Dealer blackjack is checked before player actions.
• Double on any first two cards, including after a non-ace split (DAS), if you have enough chips.
• Split equal ranks once into two hands. Split aces receive one card each, then stop.
• No resplitting, surrender, or insurance. A split hand’s 21 pays as an ordinary win.

This is a practical chart based on totals, not a card-counting system or a calculation for every remaining shoe composition. After a split, use the hard or soft chart for each playable hand. The single-split limit still applies if another matching card arrives.

How to read the blackjack strategy chart

Check for a splittable pair first. Otherwise, use the soft table if an ace still counts as 11; use the hard table if it does not. Find your row, then move across to the dealer’s upcard. A means ace; the dealer’s 10 column also covers jack, queen, and king.

H

Hit

S

Stand

DH

Double if available; otherwise hit

DS

Double if available; otherwise stand

P

Split if available; otherwise use the hard or soft total

After taking a hit, recalculate your total and look again. Doubling needs exactly two cards and an additional matching stake. For a three-card total, follow DH’s hit or DS’s stand fallback. If a pair cannot be split, treat it as its total instead.

On a narrow screen, swipe each table sideways. Keyboard users can focus a table and use the arrow keys.

Hard totals: when to hit, stand, or double

A hard hand has no ace counting as 11. Both 10 + 6 and A + 5 + 10 are hard 16. Dealer 4, 5, and 6 make standing on hard 12 reasonable; dealer 2 and 3 do not. Start here once you have ruled out a soft hand or a useful split.

A difficult recommendation can still be the better one. With hard 16 against a dealer 10, this no-surrender chart says hit. Standing is also vulnerable; avoiding every possible bust is not the objective.

Soft totals: an ace changes the decision

A + 6 is soft 17: the ace can drop from 11 to 1 when needed. A soft hand cannot bust on its next hit, though a later hit may bust once it becomes hard. The examples in parentheses also apply to equivalent multi-card soft totals, using the double fallback when necessary.

Soft 18 is worth learning separately: stand against 2, 7, or 8; double against 3–6 if available; hit against 9, 10, or ace. Those decisions are for a dealer who stands on soft 17.

When should you split pairs in blackjack?

Splitting replaces one two-card hand with two separate starting hands and requires another stake. Our table requires the same rank: K + K qualifies; K + Q does not. Keep any total of 20 together under this chart, even when the Split button is available.

Use this table only before your first split. If 8 + 8 appears again afterward, it is now a hard 16 because resplitting is unavailable. Split aces finish automatically after their one extra card; the soft-12 fallback is only for an unsplit A + A when splitting is unavailable.

Three hands, explained

Common blackjack strategy mistakes

• Copying the dealer. The dealer must stop at 17. You have choices, so soft 17 follows a different plan.
• Using a chart for different rules. Here, hard 11 against ace is H, and soft 19 against 6 is S. A hit-soft-17 chart may disagree.
• Reading only the largest total. An ace can change value. Recheck whether the hand is hard or soft after every draw.
• Judging a move by one result. A correct hit can bust; a poor stand can win. Review the cards and rules you knew when choosing.

During practice, pause before acting and name the hand type, dealer upcard, and chart action. For unfamiliar table language, see our blackjack questions and examples.