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

What This Chart Assumes

Blackjack rules vary by table, and a few of those differences change individual decisions. This chart assumes a common online setup: four or more decks, the dealer stands on soft 17, and you can double after splitting. It leaves out surrender, which not every table offers. If your table's rules differ, the questions at the end cover the main changes. Check the rules on the table's information screen before you sit down - it's the only way to know which version of the chart applies to the game in front of you.

Pairs

• Aces: Always split. Tables often give each split ace one card and no more, so check the table's rule before you count on drawing again.
• 8s: Always split, even against a dealer 9, 10, or ace. A pair of 8s is a hard 16, one of the weakest hands in the game. Splitting swaps it for two hands that each start from 8.
• 9s: Split against a dealer 2 through 6, 8, or 9. Stand against a dealer 7, 10, or ace.
• 7s: Split against a dealer 2 through 7. Hit against everything else.
• 6s: Split against a dealer 2 through 6. Hit against everything else.
• 2s or 3s: Split against a dealer 2 through 7. Hit against everything else.
• 4s: Split against a dealer 5 or 6. Hit against everything else.
• 5s: Never split. Play the pair as a hard 10 instead.
• 10s, or any two cards worth 10: Never split. You're already holding 20, and splitting trades it for two hands that each start from 10.

The splits on 2s, 3s, 4s, and 6s assume you can double after splitting. If your table doesn't allow that, split 2s and 3s only against a dealer 4 through 7, split 6s only against a dealer 3 through 6, and never split 4s.

Soft Totals (an Ace Counting as 11)

A soft hand can't bust on the next card, because the ace drops back to counting as 1 if it needs to. That's why the chart doubles soft hands against weak dealer cards more often than you might expect.

• Ace-2 or ace-3 (soft 13 or 14): Double against a dealer 5 or 6. Hit against everything else.
• Ace-4 or ace-5 (soft 15 or 16): Double against a dealer 4, 5, or 6. Hit against everything else.
• Ace-6 (soft 17): Double against a dealer 3 through 6. Hit against everything else.
• Ace-7 (soft 18): Double against a dealer 3 through 6. Stand against a dealer 2, 7, or 8. Hit against a dealer 9, 10, or ace.
• Ace-8 or ace-9 (soft 19 or 20): Always stand.

Where the chart says double but the table won't let you, hit instead. The one exception is soft 18, where you stand.

Hard Totals (No Ace, or an Ace That Has to Count as 1)

• 8 or less: Always hit.
• 9: Double against a dealer 3 through 6. Hit against everything else.
• 10: Double against a dealer 2 through 9. Hit against a dealer 10 or ace.
• 11: Double against a dealer 2 through 10. Hit against a dealer ace.
• 12: Stand against a dealer 4, 5, or 6. Hit against everything else, including a dealer 2 or 3.
• 13 through 16: Stand against a dealer 2 through 6. Hit against a dealer 7 through ace.
• 17 or more: Always stand.

Four Rules to Memorise First

If you don't want to carry the full chart, start with the four rules that hold whatever the dealer shows: always split aces and 8s, never split 10s or 5s, always stand on hard 17 or higher, and always hit hard 8 or lower. None of them need you to read the dealer's card, which makes them the easiest place to start before learning the rest.

Why This Isn't a System for Winning

Basic strategy minimises the house edge. The edge is still there: over enough hands, the house takes back slightly more than it pays out, whatever you do. What the chart removes is the extra edge you hand over through your own mistakes - standing on soft 17 because it looks like a made hand, or hitting a hard 13 against a dealer 6 because 13 feels too low to stand on.

Where to Play Online Blackjack

If you'd like to put the chart to work, here are our three highest-rated blackjack casinos right now. Most let you play RNG blackjack in demo mode first, so you can practise the chart without risking real money.

Quick Answers

Does this chart change if the dealer hits on soft 17?

Yes, in three spots. Hard 11 becomes a double against an ace as well. Soft 18 becomes a double against a dealer 2. Soft 19 becomes a double against a dealer 6. Everything else on the chart stays the same.

Does the number of decks matter?

Yes. Single-deck and double-deck games use their own versions of the chart, which double down more often. This one is for games using four decks or more.

Is basic strategy the same thing as card counting?

No. Basic strategy is a fixed set of decisions that doesn't change based on what's already been dealt. Card counting adjusts those decisions according to which cards have left the shoe, and it's a separate skill built on top of basic strategy, not a replacement for it.

Can I use a strategy chart while I play?

Online, yes. Nothing stops you keeping the chart open beside the game, and that includes live dealer tables, since the dealer can't see your screen. Land-based casinos set their own policy, so ask before you sit down.

A chart doesn't change the odds on any single hand. It decides whether, a thousand hands from now, you've given the house anything beyond the edge it started with.