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Blackjack Bandits

Lesson 4 of 8 · Basic Strategy

Blackjack Basic Strategy: Chart & Guide

The mathematically best play for every hand.

Basic strategy is the best way to play each hand using only your cards and the dealer's upcard. It comes from working out the expected result of every possible play, and it doesn't involve counting cards. The house edge figures in the previous lesson assume you play this way. Any other play loses more on average.

How to read the chart

  1. Find your hand on the left side of the chart.
    • Hard: hands with no ace, or where the ace has to count as 1.
    • Soft: an ace that counts as 11, like A,7 (soft 18).
    • Pairs: your first two cards have the same value.
  2. Find the dealer's upcard along the top. The 10 column covers 10, J, Q, and K.
  3. The cell where they meet is your play.

Some cells have two letters. The first is the best play, and the second is what to do when the table won't let you make it:

  • Dh / Ds: double if you can, otherwise hit (Dh) or stand (Ds). You can usually double only on your first two cards.
  • Rh / Rs / Rp: surrender if you can, otherwise hit, stand, or split. Surrender is only offered as your first decision, and not every casino offers it.

Chart: dealer stands on soft 17

Dealer's upcard
Hard2345678910A
5–8HHHHHHHHHH
9HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
10DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhHH
11DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHRhH
16SSSSSHHRhRhRh
17SSSSSSSSSS
18+SSSSSSSSSS
Soft2345678910A
A,2HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,3HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,4HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,5HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,6HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
A,7SDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs2345678910A
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP
  • HHit
  • SStand
  • DhDouble if allowed, otherwise hit
  • DsDouble if allowed, otherwise stand
  • PSplit
  • RhSurrender if allowed, otherwise hit

6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, late surrender. The same chart applies to 4 to 8 decks.

Chart: dealer hits soft 17

Dealer's upcard
Hard2345678910A
5–8HHHHHHHHHH
9HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
10DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhHH
11DhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhDhDh
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHRhRh
16SSSSSHHRhRhRh
17SSSSSSSSSRs
18+SSSSSSSSSS
Soft2345678910A
A,2HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,3HHHDhDhHHHHH
A,4HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,5HHDhDhDhHHHHH
A,6HDhDhDhDhHHHHH
A,7DsDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSDsSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs2345678910A
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPRp
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP
  • HHit
  • SStand
  • DhDouble if allowed, otherwise hit
  • DsDouble if allowed, otherwise stand
  • PSplit
  • RhSurrender if allowed, otherwise hit
  • RsSurrender if allowed, otherwise stand
  • RpSurrender if allowed, otherwise split

6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split, late surrender. The same chart applies to 4 to 8 decks.

Only a few plays change when the dealer hits soft 17:

  • Double 11 against an ace instead of hitting.
  • Double soft 18 (A,7) against a 2 instead of standing.
  • Double soft 19 (A,8) against a 6 instead of standing.
  • Surrender hard 15, hard 17, and a pair of 8s against an ace.

If you only learn one chart, learn the stands on soft 17 chart. Using it in a hits-soft-17 game costs much less than making the opposite mistake.

The strategy in words

When a hand is on the chart, the chart is all you need. The same strategy can also be written as a list of rules. Start at the top and use the first rule that fits your hand. These rules are for a game where the dealer stands on soft 17, with doubling after splits and surrender allowed.

1. Surrender

  • Surrender hard 16 against a 9, 10, or ace, but not a pair of 8s.
  • Surrender hard 15 against a 10.

2. Split

  • Always split aces and 8s.
  • Never split 5s or 10s. Play them as hard 10 and hard 20.
  • Split 2s and 3s against 2 through 7.
  • Split 4s against 5 or 6.
  • Split 6s against 2 through 6.
  • Split 7s against 2 through 7.
  • Split 9s against 2 through 6, 8, and 9. Stand against 7, 10, or an ace.

3. Double down

  • Double hard 9 against 3 through 6.
  • Double hard 10 against everything except a 10 or an ace.
  • Double hard 11 against everything except an ace.
  • Double soft 13 and 14 (A,2 and A,3) against 5 or 6.
  • Double soft 15 and 16 (A,4 and A,5) against 4 through 6.
  • Double soft 17 and 18 (A,6 and A,7) against 3 through 6.

4. Hit or stand

  • Hard 11 or less: always hit.
  • Hard 12: stand against 4 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 13 to 16: stand against 2 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 17 or more: always stand.
  • Soft 17 or less: always hit.
  • Soft 18: stand, except hit against a 9, 10, or ace.
  • Soft 19 or more: always stand.

And one more: never take insurance or even money. The odds lesson shows why.

Examples

You: Soft 18
Dealer: One card face down

Soft 18 against a 9: hit. Standing on 18 feels safe, but against a 9 it loses more on average than hitting. A soft hand can't bust on the next card, so taking one more card is a cheap way to try to improve.

You: Hard 16
Dealer: One card face down

Pair of 8s against a 10: split. Played together, the 8s make a hard 16, which is a weak hand against a 10. On average, two hands that each start with an 8 lose less than one 16.

You: Hard 16
Dealer: One card face down

Hard 16 against a 7: hit. Hitting will often bust you, but standing is worse. A dealer with a 7 showing busts much less often than one showing a 2 through 6.

Why the strategy looks the way it does

Most of the chart follows from the dealer bust odds in the odds lesson:

  • Against a 2 through 6, the dealer busts often. Stand on your weak hands and let the dealer take the risk, and double more often, since you're likely to win.
  • Against a 7 through ace, the dealer usually makes a strong hand. You need to improve a weak total, so you hit even when that risks busting.
  • Soft hands can't bust on one card, so doubling on them against a weak upcard is cheap.

Variations

These charts assume the rules in our practice games. When a table is different, adjust like this:

  • Variation: No doubling after a split. Don't split 2s or 3s against a 2 or 3, and don't split 6s against a 2; hit instead. Never split 4s; play them as hard 8.
  • Variation: No surrender. Use the second letter in each R cell.
  • Variation: One or two decks. These charts are for 4 to 8 decks. Single-deck and double-deck games have their own charts with a few differences.

Key takeaways

  • Find your hand on the left and the dealer's upcard along the top. When doubling or surrender isn't allowed, use the second letter.
  • Always split aces and 8s. Never split 5s or 10s.
  • Stand on 12 through 16 against a weak dealer upcard (4 through 6 for a 12), and hit them against 7 through ace.
  • Never take insurance.
  • Learn the stands on soft 17 chart first. Only a few plays change when the dealer hits soft 17.