Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

Basic strategy is the mathematically best play for every blackjack hand, computed from the dealer's fixed rules. This chart assumes the most common table: 4 to 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, and double after split allowed. Find your hand in the left column, the dealer's upcard along the top, and the cell tells you what to do.

HHitSStandDDoublePSplit

Hard totals

No ace, or an ace that must count as 1.

Your hand2345678910A
8HHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDD
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17SSSSSSSSSS
18SSSSSSSSSS
19SSSSSSSSSS
20SSSSSSSSSS
21SSSSSSSSSS

Soft hands

An ace counting as 11 plus another card.

Your hand2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7SDDDDSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS

Pairs

Two cards of the same rank; split means play two hands.

Your hand2345678910A
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP

How to memorize it

Reading the chart is easy; recalling it at a table is the hard part. A few patterns cover most of it: always split aces and eights, never split tens or fives, double 11 against everything, and stand on hard 17 or more. The stiff hands (12 through 16 against a dealer 2 to 6) are where most mistakes happen.

The fastest way to make it stick is repetition with feedback: the free trainer deals you hands, corrects you instantly, and tracks which cells of this chart you keep missing.

Does basic strategy win?

It minimizes the house edge to roughly half a percent, the lowest of any standard casino game, but it does not make blackjack profitable. Nothing on this site involves real money; see the privacy page.