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Table-game strategy

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

The mathematically correct play for every hand.

Practice trainer

Pick the basic-strategy play; the chart grades you instantly.

Dealer shows
?
Your hand
?
Accuracy
0.00 %
Streak
0
Best streak
0
Hands
0
Hard totals
Dealer's upcard →
Your hand2345678910A
8
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
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
14
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
15
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
16
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
17
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
Soft totals (with an ace)
Dealer's upcard →
Your hand2345678910A
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
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
A,9
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
Pairs
Dealer's upcard →
Your hand2345678910A
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

How it works

Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal action for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard, computed from the exact odds of the game. Find your hand on the left, read across to the dealer's card, and play the colour. It never guesses — these are the plays that lose the least over millions of hands.

Following it perfectly cuts the house edge to roughly 0.5%, about as low as any casino game gets. It does not make blackjack a winning game — only card counting can do that — but it stops you handing the house extra through mistakes. The chart assumes the common rule set on the right; other rules shift a few cells.

perfect basic strategy → house edge ≈ 0.5%

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

Blackjack basic strategy is the complete set of mathematically optimal decisions for the game — the single best action for every total you can hold against every card the dealer can show. This free, colour-coded chart gives you all of it at a glance: when to hit, stand, double or split, derived from the exact probabilities of an eight-deck shoe.

How to read the chart

Find your hand down the left edge and the dealer's upcard along the top; the colour where they meet is your play. Hard totals have no ace (or an ace forced to count as one), soft totals contain an ace counting as eleven, and the pairs table tells you when to split.

The codes are standard: H = hit, S = stand, D = double if allowed otherwise hit, Ds = double if allowed otherwise stand, and P = split. There is one correct answer in every cell — basic strategy never asks you to guess.

Why basic strategy matters

Played perfectly, basic strategy drops the house edge to about 0.5% — among the lowest of any casino game, and a fraction of what a casual player gives up through hunches. Every deviation, however intuitive, costs money over time.

It does not turn blackjack into a winning game. The edge is reduced, not reversed; only card counting can flip it, and casinos work hard to stop that. What basic strategy guarantees is that you are no longer beating yourself.

The rules this chart assumes

This chart is built for the common shoe game: four to eight decks, the dealer standing on a soft 17, doubling allowed after a split, and no surrender. Those rules cover most casino tables.

Rule changes shift a handful of cells. If the dealer hits soft 17, a few doubles are added; if double-after-split is banned, some splits become hits. The differences are small but real, so check the table rules before you sit down.

FAQ
What is blackjack basic strategy?expand_more

The mathematically optimal action for every player hand against every dealer upcard, calculated from the exact odds of the game. It minimises the house edge to about 0.5%.

Does basic strategy guarantee a win?expand_more

No. It minimises the house edge but does not eliminate it — blackjack stays a slight long-term loss with perfect play. Only card counting can give the player an edge.

What do H, S, D and P mean?expand_more

H = hit, S = stand, D = double (else hit), Ds = double (else stand), and P = split. Each cell of the chart shows one of these for your hand against the dealer's card.

Should I always split aces and eights?expand_more

Yes. Splitting aces and eights is correct against every dealer upcard — two of the few plays in blackjack that hold regardless of what the dealer shows.

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