Blackjack Strategy Guide — Basic Strategy Chart & Tips

Basic strategy is a set of mathematically proven rules that tell you the optimal action for every possible combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. It was developed in the 1950s by mathematicians who used computer simulations to calculate the expected value of every possible decision. Following basic strategy doesn't guarantee you'll win every hand — blackjack still involves variance. But over thousands of hands, basic strategy minimises your losses and maximises your wins. Deviating from basic strategy always increases the house edge. The strategy varies slightly depending on the specific rules of the variant you're playing — particularly the number of decks and whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. The principles below apply to the most common multi-deck game.

These are the most important basic strategy rules to memorise: Always: • Always split Aces • Always split 8s • Always stand on hard 17 or higher • Always hit on hard 8 or lower • Always double on 11 (except against dealer Ace in some variants) Never: • Never split 10s or 5s • Never take insurance • Never stand on hard 12–16 against dealer 7 or higher • Never hit hard 17 or higher Key doubling situations: • Double on 10 against dealer 2–9 • Double on 11 against dealer 2–10 • Double on 9 against dealer 3–6 Key splitting situations: • Split 2s and 3s against dealer 2–7 • Split 6s against dealer 2–6 • Split 7s against dealer 2–7 • Split 9s against dealer 2–6 and 8–9 (stand against 7, 10, Ace)

Soft hands (hands containing an Ace counted as 11) require different strategy from hard hands: Soft 13–14 (Ace + 2 or 3): Double against dealer 5–6; otherwise hit Soft 15–16 (Ace + 4 or 5): Double against dealer 4–6; otherwise hit Soft 17 (Ace + 6): Double against dealer 3–6; otherwise hit Soft 18 (Ace + 7): Double against dealer 3–6; stand against 2, 7, 8; hit against 9, 10, Ace Soft 19–20 (Ace + 8 or 9): Always stand The key insight with soft hands is that you can't bust with one more card — the Ace will simply revert to 1. This makes soft hands ideal for doubling in the right situations.

Even experienced players make these common strategy errors: 1. Standing on 12 against dealer 2 or 3: Basic strategy says to hit — the dealer is more likely to make a strong hand than to bust. 2. Not doubling on 11 against dealer 10: Many players are afraid to double here, but it's the mathematically correct play. 3. Splitting 10s: Your 20 is already a very strong hand. Splitting it into two separate hands is almost always a mistake. 4. Taking insurance: The insurance bet has a house edge of around 7.7%. Never take it. 5. Hitting soft 18 against dealer 2: Stand — your soft 18 is a strong hand against a dealer 2. 6. Standing on 16 against dealer 7–Ace: This feels risky, but hitting is the correct play — the dealer is likely to make a strong hand.