The blackjack basic strategy chart above shows whether to hit, stand, double or split with every starting hand against every dealer upcard in a multi-deck game. Find your hand in the hard, soft or pairs table, match it to the dealer's visible card along the top, and play the action in that cell.
Blackjack basic strategy is the best play for each hand when the only information you have is your own cards and the dealer upcard. It lowers the house edge; it does not remove it. Before you lean on this blackjack chart, confirm your table uses the same rules, because bj basic strategy changes when the rules change.
Rules this chart assumes:
- 4–8 decks
- Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
- Double after split allowed (DAS)
- No surrender
How to Read the Blackjack Strategy Chart
To read a blackjack strategy chart, pick the right table for your hand first: pairs, then soft totals, then hard totals. Follow your hand's row across to the column for the dealer upcard (2–10 or A) and play the action shown by that cell's color and letter.
- Is your hand a pair? Use the pairs table.
- Is an ace counted as 11? Use the soft table.
- Otherwise, use the hard table.
- Find the dealer upcard column and read the color.
Color and Letter Key
| Color | Letter | Action | If the action is not allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | H | Hit | Always available |
| Yellow | S | Stand | Always available |
| Green | D | Double | Hit |
| Blue | Ds | Double | Stand (soft 18, A,7 vs 3–6 only) |
| Purple | P | Split | — |
Hard, Soft or Pair: Which Table First
- 8,8 is a pair, so the pairs table decides it before you treat it as hard 16.
- A,7 is soft 18: the ace counts as 11 and no single card can bust it.
- 10,6 has no ace and no pair, so it is hard 16 in the hard table.
A soft hand can turn hard after a hit. Draw a 9 to A,6 and 11 + 6 + 9 = 26 is over 21, so the ace drops to 1: 1 + 6 + 9 = hard 16. Read the next move from the hard table.
Hard Totals: When to Hit, Stand or Double
Stand on hard 17 or more, hit 8 or less, and double down on 9, 10 or 11 only against the dealer cards marked below. A hard total is any hand without an ace, or with an ace that has to count as 1.
| Your hard total | Dealer 2–3 | Dealer 4–6 | Dealer 7–9 | Dealer 10 | Dealer A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 or less | Hit | Hit | Hit | Hit | Hit |
| 9 | Hit vs 2, Double vs 3 | Double | Hit | Hit | Hit |
| 10 | Double | Double | Double | Hit | Hit |
| 11 | Double | Double | Double | Double | Hit |
| 12 | Hit | Stand | Hit | Hit | Hit |
| 13–16 | Stand | Stand | Hit | Hit | Hit |
| 17+ | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand |
The doubling rows shrink as the total drops. Hard 11 doubles against everything except an ace on this S17 chart, hard 10 stops doubling against 10 and A, and hard 9 doubles only against 3–6. Everything outside those doubles and stands is Hit, as on the chart above, so the answer to "should I always hit 12?" is no.
Why 12–16 Stands Against a Weak Dealer Card
Hard 12 to 16 are stiff hands: a single high card can push them past 21. When the dealer shows 2–6, the dealer also holds a low total and must keep drawing to 17 or more, so the bust risk moves to the dealer and you stand. Against 7–A the dealer starts closer to a finished hand, so the chart hits. The line is uneven on purpose: only a ten-value card busts 12 (12 + 10 = 22), so 12 stands only vs 4–6, while 13–16 stand vs 2–6.
Soft Totals: Playing Hands With an Ace
Double soft 13 to soft 17 only against the weak dealer cards listed below, hit them against everything else, and always stand on soft 19 and 20. Soft 18 is the one row that uses all three actions.
| Your hand | Double vs | Stand vs | Hit vs |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2–A3 (soft 13–14) | 5–6 | Never | 2–4, 7–A |
| A4–A5 (soft 15–16) | 4–6 | Never | 2–3, 7–A |
| A6 (soft 17) | 3–6 | Never | 2, 7–A |
| A7 (soft 18) | 3–6 | 2, 7, 8 | 9, 10, A |
| A8–A9 (soft 19–20) | Never | 2–A | Never |
The doubling window widens as the soft total climbs: A2–A3 doubles only vs 5–6, A4–A5 adds the 4, and A6 adds the 3. A6 is soft 17, and this soft totals chart never stands on it: double vs 3–6, hit against every other upcard. Every unmarked cell is Hit, as on the blackjack basic strategy chart above.
Soft 18 (A,7): Three Different Actions
A,7 is the trickiest ace hand on the chart, because the move changes three times across the dealer upcards:
- Stand vs 2, 7, 8. Keep the 18 and take no card.
- Double vs 3–6. The dealer shows a weak card, so you put more money on a hand the ace keeps flexible. If doubling is not allowed, for example on a three-card hand, Stand instead of hitting.
- Hit vs 9, 10, A. Against a strong upcard the chart draws to improve. A high card does not end the hand: A,7 plus a 9 becomes hard 17 (1 + 7 + 9).
Pair Splitting Chart: When to Split
Split aces and eights every time, never split 5s or 10s, and split the other pairs only against the dealer upcards listed below. A pair you do not split is played as the total it makes.
| Pair | Split vs dealer | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| A,A | Always (2–A) | — |
| 10,10 | Never | Stand (20 is 17+) |
| 9,9 | 2–6, 8–9 | Stand vs 7, 10, A |
| 8,8 | Always (2–A) | — |
| 7,7 | 2–7 | Hit |
| 6,6 | 2–6 | Hit |
| 5,5 | Never | Play as hard 10: double vs 2–9, hit vs 10, A |
| 4,4 | 5–6 | Hit |
| 3,3 | 2–7 | Hit |
| 2,2 | 2–7 | Hit |
The "Otherwise" column covers every dealer card outside the split range. 9,9 is the only row with a gap in the middle: split against 8 and 9, but keep the 18 against a 7.
Always Split A,A and 8,8; Never 5,5 or 10,10
- A,A: splitting turns one soft 12 into two hands that each start from an ace.
- 8,8: left together it is hard 16, a stiff hand the hard table hits against 7–A.
- 5,5: together it is hard 10, a doubling hand against 2–9, so splitting it throws that double away.
- 10,10: it is already 20, and 17+ is a stand.
This blackjack split chart assumes double after split (DAS). If your table does not allow it, some cells change, so check that rule before you split small pairs.
Worked Examples: 9 Hands Read Off the Chart
Each hand below is read off the chart exactly as a player would at the table: name the hand, pick the table and row, then take the cell under the dealer upcard. The examples cover the spots players search for most, from hard 18 vs dealer 3 to 8s against a 10.
| Your hand | Dealer upcard | Table and row | Action | One-line reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,8 (hard 18) | 3 | Hard, 17+ | Stand | Hard 17 or more stands against every upcard. |
| 10,6 (hard 16) | 10 | Hard, 13–16 | Hit | 13–16 stands only vs 2–6, and this chart has no surrender option. |
| 10,2 (hard 12) | 2 | Hard, 12 | Hit | 12 stands only vs 4–6, so a 2 is still a hit. |
| 10,2 (hard 12) | 4 | Hard, 12 | Stand | The 4 falls inside the 4–6 standing range. |
| 6,5 (hard 11) | A | Hard, 11 | Hit | On this S17 chart, 11 doubles vs 2–10 only. |
| A,7 (soft 18) | 9 | Soft, A7 | Hit | Soft 18 draws against 9, 10 and A. |
| A,7 (soft 18) | 6 | Soft, A7 | Double | A7 doubles vs 3–6; stand if doubling is not allowed. |
| 8,8 | 10 | Pairs, 8,8 | Split | 8s are split against every upcard, the 10 included. |
| 5,5 | 6 | Pairs, 5,5, then hard 10 | Double | 5s are never split; as hard 10 the hand doubles vs 2–9. |
| 9,9 | 7 | Pairs, 9,9 | Stand | 9s split vs 2–6 and 8–9 but stand on 18 vs a 7. |
The order of the checks decides the answer. 8,8 and 10,6 both add up to 16, yet one is a split and the other a hit, because the pairs table comes first. 5,5 takes the same route: the pairs table says never split, and only then does the hard 10 row give the double. Run every hand through pairs, soft and hard in that sequence and the 16 vs 10 or 12 vs 2 spots stop being guesswork.
When This Chart Does Not Match Your Table
This chart fits your game only if the table rules match it, so check four of them in the game info before you play: number of decks, whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17, double after split, and surrender.
Dealer Hits Soft 17 (H17)
S17 vs H17 is the rule players miss most often. When the dealer hits soft 17, the widely known changes are three extra doubles, each in a cell this S17 chart plays differently:
- Hard 11 vs A: double instead of hit.
- Soft 19 (A,8) vs 6: double instead of stand.
- Soft 18 (A,7) vs 2: double instead of stand.
Surrender, Single Deck and Double Deck
Late surrender, single deck and double deck games also change some cells. This page does not print those charts. If your table offers surrender or deals from one or two decks, use a basic strategy chart built for that exact rule set.
When the Table Will Not Let You Double
If the table will not let you double, for example once you hold three cards, play Hit wherever the chart shows Double. The one exception is soft 18 (A,7) against 3–6: stand there, because 18 is already a hand worth keeping.
What Basic Strategy Does (and Does Not Do) for Your Bankroll
Perfect basic strategy brings the blackjack house edge down to roughly 0.5% on typical 6-deck S17 DAS 3:2 games, an approximate, widely quoted figure. That is the floor the chart reaches, not a way past the house.
The number that matters for your bankroll is expected loss, which equals wager × house edge:
$1,000 wagered × ≈0.5% ≈ $5 expected loss, a long-run average, not a per-session result.
Basic Strategy, Rakeback and Stake Bonuses
On Stake.com, rakeback is a fixed percentage of the house edge on every wager, win or lose; Stake's own example is 3.5% of the house edge. Weekly and monthly bonuses also pay a higher percentage on higher-edge games; the exact formula is not published. So low-edge blackjack returns less rakeback per dollar wagered. The Stake wager calculator and monthly bonus calculator estimate this from expected loss.
Card counting and practice drills are separate topics; a blackjack trainer, a card counting trainer and a blackjack calculator are coming later.