Blackjack Basic Strategy: Charts, Rules, and Odds

How the chart works

Find your hand down the side and the dealer's up-card across the top. The cell where they meet is the play: H hit, S stand, D double (hit if doubling is not allowed), P split, R surrender (hit if surrender is not offered).

The chart assumes a common online rule set: several decks, dealer stands on soft 17, doubling after a split allowed. Use a chart for your table's rules if they differ.

Hard totals

Soft hands and pairs

• Soft 13 to 17: double against a weak dealer card (roughly 4 to 6), otherwise hit.
• Soft 18: stand against 2, 7 and 8; double against 3 to 6; hit against 9, 10 and ace.
• Soft 19 and 20: stand.
• Split aces and eights every time.
• Never split tens or fives; play fives as a hard 10.
• Split twos, threes and sevens against a dealer 2 to 7.

Table rules that change the odds

Check the payout first. A 6:5 table pays Rs 1,200 on a Rs 1,000 blackjack instead of Rs 1,500, and that adds about 1.39% to the house edge. Dealer hitting soft 17 adds about 0.2%, no doubling after a split about 0.14%, no late surrender about 0.08%. The full table is in our blackjack math guide.

Live dealer or RNG

Live blackjack streams a real dealer with a shoe and runs about 30 to 40 hands an hour. RNG blackjack reshuffles after every hand and runs faster, around 60 hands an hour or more. The chart is the same for both; the faster game simply costs more per hour at the same edge.

Betting and bankroll

• Bet the same amount each hand; progressive systems drain a bankroll quickly.
• Decline insurance.
• Set a loss limit before you sit down and stop when you reach it.
• Keep money for living costs out of your casino wallet.