Strategy

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

The optimal decision for every situation. Match your hand against the dealer's upcard.

S Stand

H Hit

D Double

SP Split

Columns → dealer's upcard Rows ↓ your hand

Your hand ↓	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard hands
17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H	H
5–8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Soft hands (with an Ace)
A-8 → A-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A-7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A-6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A-5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A-4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A-3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A-2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
Pairs
A-A / 8-8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
10-10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9-9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
7-7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
6-6	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H	H
5-5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
4-4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
3-3	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
2-2	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H

Blackjack basic strategy chart: stand, hit, double or split depending on your hand and the dealer's upcard — Blackjack basic strategy chart — printable version. Dealer stands on soft 17, doubling allowed after splitting.

This chart is built on the most common rules (dealer stands on soft 17, doubling allowed after splitting). Check the rules of your table: they shift a few cells. Basic strategy reduces the house edge — it does not remove it.

How to read the chart

Three seconds per decision, once it becomes second nature.

Find your hand, on the left

Add up your cards. If you hold an Ace that can count as 11 without busting you, you have a soft hand — go to the second section of the chart.

Look at the dealer, on top

Only one of his cards is face up, and that is the only one that matters. The whole decision rests on it.

Cross them, and play the cell

The colour where they meet gives you the action. No gut feeling, no exceptions — otherwise the chart is pointless.

Why these decisions

Understanding the logic is what stops you deviating at the worst moment.

It all starts with one unfair rule: you play before the dealer. If you both bust, you have already lost. That is exactly where the house edge lives, and the whole chart is about limiting the damage that rule does.

Hence the two-block reading. When the dealer shows a 4, 5 or 6, he is in trouble: he will have to draw, and he busts often. No need to take risks — you stand from 12 and let him wreck his own hand.

When he shows 7 or more, the story flips: he will most often finish between 17 and 21. Standing on 15 against a 9 means hoping for a miracle. You have to build your hand, even if hitting on 16 hurts.

The rest are the moments where you take the advantage. Doubling on 11 or 10, splitting eights — that is putting more money on the table precisely when the situation favours you. Those spots are rare, and missing them costs more than people think.

The mistakes that cost the most

Six instincts that look sensible and eat away at you, hand after hand.

Insurance

Taking insurance

It is a separate bet on the dealer having blackjack, and it loses over time. Turn it down every single time — the name is reassuring, the maths much less so.

Hard hand

Standing on 16 against a 7

Hitting 16 is unpleasant, but standing means betting the dealer busts. Against a 7 or higher, he does not bust often enough for that to hold up.

Pairs

Splitting tens

20 is already a hand that wins almost every time. Cutting it in half trades one strong hand for two average ones.

Double

Never doubling

Doubling is the only moment where you can bet more while you are ahead. Playing without it leaves half of what the strategy earns on the table.

Instinct

Copying the dealer

Always standing on 17 looks logical since that is his rule. Except he plays last: the same rule does not produce the same result at all.

Streak

Playing on gut feeling

The chart does not change because you just lost three hands in a row. Every hand starts from zero — and that is exactly what your brain refuses to accept.

Frequently asked questions

Does this chart let you win?

No, and that has to be said plainly. Basic strategy brings the house edge down from around 2% to around 0.5% under common rules. The expectation stays negative: over time, the casino wins. The chart makes you lose more slowly, it does not flip anything.

Do you have to memorise it?

Online, no: keep the PNG open next to you, nobody is timing you. If you do want to memorise it, start with the rows you meet most often — hands from 12 to 16 and the pairs. The rest comes on its own.

Does it work on every table?

This chart is built on the most widespread rules: multiple decks, dealer standing on soft 17, doubling allowed after splitting. If your table says the dealer hits on soft 17, a few cells change. The rules are always shown before you sit down.

What about card counting?

Different subject, different level of commitment. And above all: useless on standard online tables, where the shoe is reshuffled after every hand. Basic strategy, on the other hand, applies everywhere.

Why split eights against a 10?

Because 16 is the worst hand in the game. Splitting does not make the spot good — it stays a losing one — but two hands starting at 8 lose less money than a 16 played as is. It is damage control, not a winning move.