Guide

Blackjack basic strategy chart

Updated 9 November 2026 · Blackjack Theory

Basic strategy is the mathematically best play for every hand in blackjack. Play it perfectly and the house edge drops to roughly half a percent, lower than almost any other casino game. Here is the full chart for a standard 6-deck shoe, with the rule changes you might meet and the mistakes most players make.

The basic strategy chart

Find your hand on the left and the dealer's upcard along the top. Use the pairs table first if you hold a pair you're allowed to split, then the soft table if you hold an ace counted as 11, otherwise the hard table.

• HHit
• SStand
• DDouble, otherwise hit
• DsDouble, otherwise stand
• PSplit
• RhSurrender, otherwise hit
• RsSurrender, otherwise stand
• RpSurrender, otherwise split

You	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
5–8	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	D
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	Rh	Rh
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	Rh	Rh	Rh
17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	Rs

You	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	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

You	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
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	Rp
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	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H

Rules: 6 decks · H17 · DAS · LS (6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split allowed, late surrender). Blackjack pays 3 to 2.

Rules of thumb that cover most hands

• Hard 17 or more: always stand.
• Hard 13–16: stand against a dealer 2–6, hit against 7 or higher. The dealer's weak cards bust often, so let them take the risk.
• Hard 12: stand only against a 4, 5 or 6; hit against everything else.
• 11: double against every upcard (with H17, even an ace).
• 10: double against 2–9.
• Soft 17 or less: never stand. Double against a weak upcard, otherwise hit.
• Pairs: always split aces and eights; never split fives or tens.

If the dealer stands on soft 17

Some tables use S17, which is slightly better for you. These are the only plays that change from the chart above:

• Hard 11 vs A: Double, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 15 vs A: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 17 vs A: Surrender, otherwise stand → Stand
• Soft 18 (A,7) vs 2: Double, otherwise stand → Stand
• Soft 19 (A,8) vs 6: Double, otherwise stand → Stand
• Pair 8,8 vs A: Surrender, otherwise split → Split

If surrender isn't allowed

Without late surrender (or once you've taken a third card), play these hands as follows instead:

• Hard 15 vs 10: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 15 vs A: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 16 vs 9: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 16 vs 10: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 16 vs A: Surrender, otherwise hit → Hit
• Hard 17 vs A: Surrender, otherwise stand → Stand
• Pair 8,8 vs A: Surrender, otherwise split → Split

The most common mistakes

• Standing on 16 against a 10. It feels safe, but you win less often standing than hitting. With surrender, give it up for half your bet.
• Not doubling soft hands. A soft 17 against a 3–6 is a double. You can't bust with one card, and the dealer is weak.
• Hitting 12 against a 4–6. These are the dealer's worst cards; stand and let them bust.
• Taking insurance or "even money". It's a side bet with a house edge of about 7% unless you're counting.

How to memorise basic strategy

Learn it in chunks rather than all at once: hard totals first, then soft hands, then pairs. Drill each chunk until you answer instantly, then mix them. The fastest way is spaced, repeated practice with immediate feedback: answering a random hand, seeing whether you were right and why, and focusing on the hands you miss. That's exactly how the drill in Blackjack Theory works.

Frequently asked questions

What is blackjack basic strategy?

Basic strategy is the mathematically best way to play every blackjack hand, based only on your cards and the dealer’s upcard. It was worked out by computer simulation of millions of hands, and playing it perfectly cuts the house edge to roughly half a percent.

Should you always split aces and eights?

Yes. Splitting aces turns a weak soft 12 into two hands that each start with 11. Splitting eights breaks up 16, the worst total in blackjack, into two hands starting from 8. The only exception is surrendering a pair of eights against an ace where the dealer hits soft 17 and surrender is allowed.

Should you ever split tens?

No, not with basic strategy. A total of 20 already wins most of the time. Card counters split tens against a 5 or 6 only at a high true count (see the Illustrious 18).

What does H17 and S17 mean?

H17 means the dealer hits soft 17 (for example an ace and a 6); S17 means the dealer stands on it. H17 is worse for the player by about 0.2% and changes a handful of basic strategy plays.

Should I take insurance?

No. Without counting cards, insurance is a losing side bet. Counters only take it when the true count is +3 or higher.

Does basic strategy change with the number of decks?

Slightly. This chart is for shoe games of 4 to 8 decks, the most common in casinos. Single- and double-deck games have a few different plays, mostly more doubling.