Blackjack Basic Strategy
Perfect play guide to minimize the house edge
Hard Totals
| Your Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|
Soft Totals
| Your Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|
Pair Splitting
| Your Pair | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|
H Hit
S Stand
D Double
Dh Double/Hit
Ds Double/Stand
P Split
Ph Split/Hit
Rh Surrender/Hit
Rs Surrender/Stand
How to Use
Basic strategy charts show the mathematically optimal play for every situation:
- Select your game rules using the controls above
- Find your hand in the left column
- Find dealer's upcard in the top row
- Follow the action where they intersect
Hand Types
- Hard Totals: Hands without an Ace or where Ace counts as 1
- Soft Totals: Hands with an Ace counting as 11 (e.g., A-6 = soft 17)
- Pairs: Two cards of the same rank that can be split
House Edge
- Perfect Basic Strategy: Reduces house edge to 0.5% or less
- 6 Decks, S17, DAS: House edge ~0.40%
- Without Basic Strategy: House edge can be 2-3%
- Memorizing these charts is essential for optimal play