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Blackjack basic strategy chart

Basic strategy is the mathematically best way to play every hand, worked out from millions of simulated deals. Play it perfectly and the house edge in a good game drops to around half a percent.

How to read the chart

Find your hand down the left side and the dealer's face-up card along the top. Pairs use the pairs table, hands containing an ace counted as 11 (like A,6) use the soft table, and everything else uses the hard table. If the chart says double but you can't (for example after taking a third card), hit instead, unless it says Ds, in which case stand.

Chart: dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)

4 to 8 decks, double after split allowed, no surrender.

Hard totals

Soft totals (hands with an ace counted as 11)

Pairs

Chart: dealer hits soft 17 (H17)

4 to 8 decks, double after split allowed, no surrender. The differences from S17 are doubling 11 against an ace, and doubling soft 18 against 2 and soft 19 against 6.

Hard totals

Soft totals (hands with an ace counted as 11)

Pairs

With late surrender

If the table offers late surrender, give up half your bet on hard 16 against 9, 10 or ace and hard 15 against 10. When the dealer hits soft 17, also surrender hard 15 and hard 17 against an ace and 8,8 against an ace. The Charts & Lab page in the trainer builds the exact chart for any combination of rules.

The hands people get wrong most

• 12 against 2 or 3: hit. It feels wrong, but standing loses more.
• 16 against 10: hit (or surrender if allowed). Standing only wins if the dealer busts.
• Soft 18 (A,7) against 9, 10 or ace: hit. 18 isn't strong enough against those cards.
• Always split aces and 8s. Never split tens or 5s.
• 11 against 10: double.
• Never take insurance unless you're counting and the true count is +3 or higher.

Frequently asked questions

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