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Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: When to Hit, Stand, Double and Split

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: When to Hit, Stand, Double and Split

Blackjack basic strategy is the set of decisions (hit, stand, double, split) that gives you the best expected result for every combination of your hand and the dealer's up card. Played perfectly, it cuts the house edge to roughly 0.3% to 0.8% in a game with good rules, the lowest of almost any casino table game. The chart below is for the most common shoe game: 4 to 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, no surrender.

In one sentence
Hit or stand based on the dealer's up card (stand on 12 to 16 only against a 2 to 6, with 12 the exception against 2 and 3), double 10 and 11 against weaker up cards, always split aces and 8s, never split 10s or 5s, and never take insurance.
0.28% to 0.80%
House edge with basic strategy
Good rules, per our house edge guide
1.4 pts
Extra edge on a 6:5 table
vs a 3:2 blackjack payout
4.7%
Chance of a blackjack
Six-deck shoe
6.8%
House edge on insurance
Six decks, no tens in your hand

How to read the blackjack strategy chart

Find your hand on the left and the dealer's up card across the top. H means hit, S means stand, D means double down (hit if doubling is not allowed), Ds means double if allowed and otherwise stand, and P means split. Check the pairs chart first, then soft totals, then hard totals. A soft hand has an ace you can count as 11 without busting, like A,6 (soft 17).

 Hard totals: dealer up card across the top
You2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17+SSSSSSSSSS
 Soft totals (an ace counted as 11)
You2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7SDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
 Pairs
You2345678910A
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP

These charts assume 4 to 8 decks, the dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), you can double on any two cards and after a split, and surrender is not offered. If the table lets you surrender, surrender hard 16 against a 9, 10 or ace and hard 15 against a 10 instead of hitting.

The blackjack basic strategy rules worth memorizing first

1
Always split aces and 8s
A pair of 8s is 16, the worst total in blackjack. Two hands starting with 8 are better than one 16, even against a 10.
2
Never split 10s or 5s
Twenty already wins most of the time. A pair of 5s is a 10, which you double against 2 through 9.
3
Double 11 against everything but an ace
And double 10 against 2 through 9. These are the biggest money-makers in the game.
4
Stand on 12 to 16 against a 2 to 6 (with one exception)
The dealer has to hit to at least 17 and busts most often showing a 4, 5 or 6. Hit 12 against a 2 or 3.
5
Hit 12 to 16 against a 7 or higher
It feels wrong to hit a 16 against a 10, but standing loses more often over time.
6
Never take insurance
Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a 10 under the ace. In a six-deck game, when you hold two non-ten cards, about 31% of the remaining cards are tens and the bet pays 2 to 1, so the house keeps about 6.8%.

Why table rules change the house edge

RuleBetter for youWorse for you
Blackjack payout3:26:5 (about 1.4 points more house edge)
Dealer on soft 17Stands (S17)Hits (H17)
Double after splitAllowedNot allowed
SurrenderLate surrender offeredNot offered
Number of decksFewerMore

The 6:5 payout matters most. In a six-deck game you get a blackjack about 4.7% of the time, and a 6:5 payout pays 0.3 units less on each one than 3:2. That works out to about 1.4 percentage points of extra house edge, more than every other rule on this list combined. Our casino games ranked by house edge guide shows where blackjack sits against craps, baccarat and roulette.

Basic strategy is about expected value

Basic strategy does not win every hand. It picks the play that loses the least, or wins the most, over thousands of hands, which is the same idea behind betting only when the price is in your favor. A sports bet at -110 needs to win 52.4% of the time to break even; our guide to expected value in sports betting walks through it, and you can shop prices on our sportsbooks page.

Where the edge is
In blackjack, perfect play still leaves the house a small edge. In sports betting, a handicapper can beat the number. That is what Guaranteed Sport Picks has done since 1999: see today's free picks or the premium picks, which come with Pay After You Win.

Blackjack strategy questions

What is basic strategy in blackjack?+
Basic strategy is the mathematically best play (hit, stand, double or split) for every combination of your hand and the dealer's up card. With good rules it lowers the house edge to roughly 0.3% to 0.8%.
Should you hit 16 against a 10?+
Yes, under basic strategy you hit hard 16 against a dealer 10 if surrender is not offered. If late surrender is available, surrender instead.
Should you split 8s against a 10?+
Yes. Always split 8s. A 16 is the worst hand in blackjack, and two hands starting with 8 lose less over time, even against a 10 or an ace.
Is insurance ever a good bet?+
Not for a basic strategy player. In a six-deck game the insurance bet carries a house edge of about 6.8% when you hold two non-ten cards.
How much does a 6:5 blackjack table cost you?+
About 1.4 percentage points of house edge compared with a 3:2 payout in a six-deck game, because a blackjack comes about 4.7% of the time and pays 0.3 units less each time.
Want an edge you can actually have?
The house always keeps a little at the blackjack table. Our handicappers go after the number on the scoreboard instead. Free picks every day, and premium picks with Pay After You Win.