Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart: Your Brief Chart Guide

Let's picture this: you, the blackjack table, and your inner voice basically screaming: "Do I hit or stand? Maybe double down? Split?"

Feels like your usual Tuesday night scenario? Been there, back in the '00s when I first started with blackjack. Trust me, guys, nothing sharpens your mind more than facing the dealer's sneaky 16.

I've spent years turning my passion for blackjack into practical guides, and here's another one: the basic blackjack strategy chart guide you've been looking for. I'll tell you how to actually use it, not just scan it. I want you to think like a proper player, not just memorise the chart and call it a day. Find below your cheat sheet for optimal blackjack strategy.

Do You Really Need a Strategy?

Here's a 'thought' I spotted long ago on Reddit from a player, and it just stuck with me - blackjack is built for you to lose by default (like any other casino game), and the basic strategy doesn't flip the house edge, but even so, it's the best way to cut your losses over time.

Ok, so first of all, blackjack is one of the few casino games that rely on strategy - your strategy (and skill). Yeah, it might look simple - you hit, stand, maybe split if you're feeling it. But if you've been playing blackjack for a while now, you've probably noticed that there's more to it.

Now, why waste your time trying to figure out the perfect strategy when there's already one that pros use? The best part is that you can find the basic blackjack strategy chart everywhere online. And no, it's no joke. It gives you the basic-strategy move for the hands and rules it covers, based on the dealer's upcard. The rules bit matters: a chart for a different game isn't your cheat sheet.

Just before you roll your eyes - no, you don't have to memorise it all in one sitting. If you're consistent, you'll easily learn the main moves; the rest will stick with you naturally.

Meet Your Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart

Did you know that there's no one-size-fits-all? It's a matter of: number of decks, dealer hits or stands on soft 17, doubling after split (allowed or not), and optional rules (like early or late surrender).

This chart assumes 4-8 decks, the dealer hits soft 17, a US-style dealer peek for blackjack, and doubling after splitting is allowed. It assumes doubling on any initial two cards and shows decisions without surrender. Different rules, including European no-hole-card rules, need a different chart.

Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard Totals
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
18+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
Soft Totals (Ace + other)
A,2 / A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 / A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,8	S	S	S	S	Ds	S	S	S	S	S
A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
Pairs
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
3,3 & 2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H

H: Hit. S: Stand. D: Double if allowed; otherwise hit. Ds: Double if allowed; otherwise stand. P: Split.

Compare your table rules with Michael Shackleford's 4-8 deck analysis. If late surrender is available, check that strategy before using a hit, stand or split decision here. A soft hand contains an ace that can count as 11.

Got a hand you keep getting stuck on? Try the hand checker below. You can change the soft 17, double-after-split and surrender rules to match your table.

How to Use this Cheat Sheet Like a Pro

Even beginners can turn these strategies into a real game plan if they use this chart correctly.

When to Hit, Stand, or Double - Hard Hands Explained

Know those tricky situations when you don't have an Ace? The choice you make can either break or make your night at the blackjack table.

Now, stop second-guessing and take a peek at the chart.

Hit: When your hand totals 8 or less. No point in standing on 6, so don't get cute. Yes, it's a bit trickier with totals 12-16, but if the dealer shows a 7 through A, you're gonna hit again. Having doubts? You're more likely to lose if you just sit around and hope the dealer busts. Don't you think?

Stand: Don't even think of doing something else when you have a hard 17 (or higher). No need to be a hero. The odds of you busting are just too high. Plus, you're already in a decent spot. With hard 13-16, stand against dealer 2-6. Hard 12 is the exception: stand against 4-6, but hit against 2 or 3. You're giving the dealer a chance to bust, not a guarantee that they will.

Double Down: For this H17 chart, double hard 9 against 3-6, hard 10 against 2-9, and hard 11 against any upcard. If doubling isn't allowed, hit. Don't lump all three totals together: that dealer 2 changes the answer for a 9.

And hey, you can get as clever as you want (if you think you can outsmart the chart), but those rules are there for a reason.

Aces Are Your Best Buds at Soft Hands

You know this, right? A soft hand is when an Ace counts as 11 without busting. Something like A + 6 (that's a soft 17). Nice.

Now, did you know Aces are actually your wild cards? Here are a few most common scenarios:

• Soft 13-14 (A + 2 or 3) & dealer shows 5 or 6: double down (the dealer's close to bust); otherwise hit.
• Soft 15-16 (A + 4 or 5) & dealer has 4-6: double down (same logic); otherwise hit.
• Soft 17 (A + 6) & dealer shows 3-6: double down (classy); otherwise hit.
• Soft 18 (A + 7) & dealer's 2-6: double down, otherwise stand if doubling isn't allowed. Against 7 or 8, stand; against 9, 10 or A, hit. That's the H17 version shown above.
• Soft 19 (A + 8): double against 6 at this H17 table; otherwise stand. If you can't double, stand. Soft 20 (A + 9): just stand.

When to Split Without Sweating It

The key rule here is: don't panic.

The thing is that you can split two cards of the same value into two hands. The rule of thumb goes like:

• Always split Aces and 8s.
• Never dare split 10s or 5s.
• With double after split allowed, split 2s and 3s against 2-7, 6s against 2-6, and 7s against 2-7. Split 4s against 5-6. Split 9s against 2-6 or 8-9; keep the 18 against 7, 10 or A. Small pairs change when double after split is not allowed.

Double Down Without the Drama

Or, when is one extra stake the right decision? Doubling is not going all in, bud.

So, go for it when:

• Hard 9 (if the dealer has 3-6). Anything else? Just hit.
• Hard 10 (against 2-9). The dealer got a 10 or an Ace? Hit, bud.
• Hard 11: double against any upcard for this H17 chart. At an otherwise matching S17 table, hit against an Ace instead.
• Soft 16: double against 4-6, otherwise hit. Soft 17: double against 3-6, otherwise hit. Soft 18: use the separate rule above; 'otherwise hit' would be the wrong shortcut.

What If the Dealer Stands on Soft 17?

Open the S17 chart and eight worked hands

This version uses 4-8 decks, the dealer stands on soft 17, dealer peek, doubling on any initial two cards and after splitting, and no surrender. Check pairs before totals.

The differences from the H17 chart above: hit hard 11 against an Ace; stand on A + 7 against 2; stand on A + 8 against 6. You can also choose S17 in the hand checker.

Read the S17 chart as text

The same rules apply: 4-8 decks, S17, dealer peek, double on any initial two cards and after a split, no surrender. Check a splittable pair before the total. Follow the table's restrictions on split aces.

H = hit; S = stand; D = double, otherwise hit; Ds = double, otherwise stand; P = split. The columns show the dealer's upcard.

Hard totals

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17-21	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft totals

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	S	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,8-9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

Eight Worked Hands: S17, DAS, No Surrender

These examples use the S17 rules above. Try each hand yourself before opening the answer.

10 + 2 against dealer 3: hit or stand?

Hit. With hard 12, stand against 4, 5 or 6; hit against 2 or 3.

10 + 6 against dealer 10: surely standing is safer?

Hit when surrender is unavailable. It's an ugly hand, but hitting is the better long-run play.

8 + 8 against dealer 10: is that the same hand?

Split the eights into two hands, adding a second stake.

A + 7 against dealer 9: keep the 18?

Hit. Soft 18 is not played like hard 18. If the next card would put the ace over the limit, the ace counts as 1 instead.

A + 7 against dealer 6: what about now?

Double if allowed; otherwise stand.

5 + 5 against dealer 6: split the pair?

Double if allowed; otherwise hit. Treat the fives as a useful hard 10, rather than paying to start two hands with 5.

9 + 9 against dealer 7: two nines must be better?

Stand. An 18 already beats a dealer total of 17. The pair-splitting decision changes with the upcard.

10 + 10 against dealer 6: chase two good hands?

Stand. Keep the 20.

These decisions were cross-checked against Wizard of Odds' multi-deck strategy and Blackjack Apprenticeship's rule-specific charts. Their charts also show why changing soft 17, surrender or dealer-blackjack rules matters.

What NOT to Do - Most Common Mistakes

First of all, we've all been there. And if you find out you're doing anything from what I list below, no worries. That's what this guide is here for.

Anyway, where was I? Avoid these at all costs:

• Ignoring the strategy chart and guessing your next move (biiiig red flag).
• Misunderstanding splitting and doubling (that's what the chart's for).
• Taking insurance (oh, that's a trap and losing move, telling you right away).
• Getting distracted (chatting too much or watching other players' drama will make you lose focus, which is unacceptable in a game of strategy).
• Not paying attention to dealer rules (like I said, not all blackjack tables are the same, so check for rules way before you start playing).
• Doubling down after a losing streak (spoiler alert: it very rarely ends well).

Hit, Stand or Split? Check Your Hand

The starting rules match the chart above: 4-8 decks, dealer hits soft 17 and peeks for blackjack, double on any initial two cards and after splitting, no surrender.

Change soft 17, DAS or surrender

Dealer on soft 17Stands (S17)Hits (H17)

Double after splittingAllowed (DAS)Not allowed

Late surrenderNot availableAvailable after dealer peek

4-8 decks; H17; double any two; DAS; no surrender; dealer peek.

Your first card2345678910JQKA

Your second card2345678910JQKA

Dealer's upcard2345678910JQKA

Your hand

102

Dealer shows

3

Check this hand

Hit.

Hard 12 against dealer 3. The stand range for hard 12 starts at dealer 4 under these rules.

When this checker doesn't apply

Use a different chart for no-hole-card games, restricted doubles, hands after splitting, single/double deck, and special variants such as Free Bet, Power or Lightning. This tool checks the original two-card decision, not later draws or card-counting deviations.

Ten awkward hands. How many can you get right?

Fancy testing yourself? Choose a move for each hand and I'll show you the answer. At the end, you can have another go at the ones you missed.

Uses the table rules selected above. Each new round contains ten hands.

Start 10-hand practice

Ready to Practise?

Keep the chart beside you and try a few hands with free blackjack. When you want to compare real-money tables, head to my blackjack casino shortlist.

Put the Chart to Work

So yeah, that's the gist: the basic blackjack strategy chart isn't a magic tool, but it might tell you how to play your cards right if you put in just a bit of effort.

But before you go and try practising it, I have a few practical pointers for you: keep the chart at hand; start by memorising the main moves (the rest will follow suit); don't get greedy, thinking you can outsmart the system. The best piece of advice you'll ever hear is to be consistent.

BTW, if you're playing on your phone, you can easily pull up a quick reference to the cheat sheet. Feel free to do a screen of our strategy chart above (each move has its colour, so it's easy to spot).

If we're still speaking of…, I often get asked whether we can break the chart rules at all. Actually yes, but only when it makes sense, such as when you're counting cards (in land-based casinos, mostly), when you're playing a specific game (free bet blackjack, double exposure, or switch blackjack), or when table rules are crazy wild (no resplits allowed, few decks only, too many decks, or doubling after split not allowed).

Don't overthink it; it's usually the pros who take on the challenge. If you're new to it all, just stick to the strategy chart.

Finally, a good strategy chart can help with the odds, but it'll never replace common sense. So, don't forget to set a clear budget and step away in time.