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Blackjack basic strategy chart

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Basic strategy chooses a play from your hand and the dealer's upcard. It is not a way to predict the next card, and it does not guarantee a win.

Match the rules before using the chart

This total-dependent reference is for a standard 4-8 deck US-style game: dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), checks for blackjack with an ace or ten showing, doubling on any first two cards and doubling after splitting are allowed, and surrender is not available. It is not a verified strategy chart for this site's entertainment game. Different rules can change the best play.

H = hit. S = stand. D = double if allowed, otherwise hit. Ds = double if allowed, otherwise stand. P = split. Check pairs first, then soft hands, then hard totals.

Hard hands

Dealer upcard across the top; your hand on the left
Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	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
13-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17-21	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft hands

Dealer upcard across the top; your hand on the left
Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2 / A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 / 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 / A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs

Dealer upcard across the top; your hand on the left
Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2 / 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 / A,A	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

Read a hand in three steps

Holding 10 and 2 against a dealer 3? It is a hard 12: follow the 12 row to the 3 column and hit. Holding ace and 7 against a dealer 6? It is a soft 18: double if permitted, otherwise stand. Two eights are a pair, so use the pair chart before the hard-16 row.

When the options change

If a re-split limit stops you from splitting, use the hand's hard or soft total instead. If doubling after a split is prohibited, pairs of 2s and 3s against 2 or 3, fours against 5 or 6, and sixes against 2 need different treatment. Do not reuse this chart unchanged.

If late surrender is offered under these S17 rules, hard 16 (not two eights) against 9, 10 or ace, and hard 15 against 10 are surrender candidates. A dealer who hits soft 17 or a no-hole-card game also changes strategy. Use a rule-specific reference rather than memorizing exceptions from several games at once.

For basic strategy under these assumptions, decline insurance. It is a separate side bet, not protection that makes the original hand better.

Strategy reference: Wizard of Odds multi-deck strategy. The explanations and chart layout here are original.

Next: learn the rule variations or read about card counting.