Blackjack basic strategy

Every cell below is the action with the highest expected value, computed rather than copied. Playing it correctly is what makes blackjack a 0.52% game instead of a 2% one.

Games › Blackjack › Basic Strategy

0.52%Edge, correct play
S17, DAS, 3:2Rules assumed
AllDecisions covered
Computed EVSource

How to read this

Find your hand down the left, the dealer's upcard across the top, and take the action in the cell. These charts assume the dealer stands on soft 17, doubling after a split is allowed, and blackjack pays 3:2.

H hit · S stand · D double (hit if doubling is not allowed) · P split

Hard totals

Your hand2345678910A
5HHHHHHHHHH
6HHHHHHHHHH
7HHHHHHHHHH
8HHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17SSSSSSSSSS

The block of stands on 12 through 16 against a dealer 2 to 6 is the part players get wrong most often. You are not standing because 15 is a good hand. You are standing because the dealer is more likely to bust than you are to improve, and our dealer upcard odds page shows exactly how likely that is.

Soft hands

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

Soft hands cannot bust with one card, which is why so many of them double. A,7 is the awkward one: it is the only soft hand where standing, hitting and doubling are each correct against some upcard.

Pairs

Your pair2345678910A
A,APPPPPPPPPP
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPPHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPPHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS

Two rules survive from this table even if you remember nothing else: always split aces and eights, never split tens or fives. Splitting tens breaks a hand that already wins most of the time; 5,5 is a hard 10 and should be doubled.

Why this is worth learning

Blackjack is the only common table game where your decisions change the house edge. Correct play produces 0.52%. Reasonable-looking instinctive play typically runs 1.5% to 2.5%, which is three to five times the cost.

Nothing here is card counting. This chart is fixed, legal, printed on cards sold in casino gift shops, and most houses will let you consult one at the table.

The rules at your table shift a few cells. Our pages on H17 against S17 and doubling restrictions cover the differences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does basic strategy beat the house?
No. It reduces the house edge to about 0.52%, which is the lowest cost available without counting cards.
Can I use a strategy card at the table?
In most casinos yes, and dealers are generally used to it. Ask if unsure.
What are the most important rules to remember?
Always split aces and eights, never split tens or fives, stand on hard 12-16 against a dealer 2-6, and always hit hard 12-16 against a 7 or higher.
Is this chart the same for every table?
Nearly. A dealer hitting soft 17 and restrictions on doubling shift a few cells. The core of the chart does not move.

Every figure on this page is computed by an expected-value engine that plays the game out: it derives the dealer's final-total distribution by recursion, evaluates standing, hitting, doubling and splitting at each decision, and takes the best. Rule costs are measured by re-running the whole calculation with the rule changed, not by quoting a published delta. The model assumes independent card draws, which sits a few hundredths of a percent from an exact shoe analysis; the rule differences it produces match published values. Rules vary by table, so read the felt.