Blackjack Basic Strategy in Ten Minutes

Blackjack is one of the few casino games where your decisions change the odds. Basic strategy — the mathematically best move for every hand — brings the house edge down to around half a percent. You don’t need to memorise everything at once; a few rules cover most situations.

Hard totals

A hard hand has no ace, or an ace that must count as one.

• 8 or less: always hit.
• 9: double against a dealer 3–6, otherwise hit.
• 10: double against 2–9.
• 11: double against everything except perhaps an ace, depending on rules.
• 12: stand against 4–6, otherwise hit.
• 13–16: stand against 2–6, hit against 7 or higher.
• 17 and above: stand.

Soft totals

A soft hand has an ace counted as eleven.

• Soft 13–15: hit, or double against 4–6.
• Soft 17: double against 3–6, otherwise hit.
• Soft 18: double against 3–6, stand against 2, 7 and 8, hit against 9, 10 or ace.
• Soft 19 and 20: stand.

Pairs

• Always split aces and eights.
• Never split tens or fives.
• Split twos, threes and sevens against a dealer 2–7.
• Split nines against 2–9 except 7.

Why the dealer’s card matters

Dealer cards 4, 5 and 6 bust most often, so you can stand on weak totals and double more. Against 7 through ace, the dealer usually makes a strong hand, so you need to improve.

Things basic strategy says never to do

Take insurance, split tens, or stand on 12 against a dealer 2 or 3 just because you fear busting.

Rules change the strategy

Whether the dealer hits soft 17, the number of decks and whether you can double after splitting all shift some decisions slightly.

How to practise until it is automatic

Start by learning the hard-total rules, because they come up most often. Play a few hundred demo hands with the chart open, then cover the chart and check yourself after each decision. Add soft hands next, then pairs. Many free blackjack trainers flag every mistake instantly, which speeds up learning. Within a week of short daily sessions, most players can play perfect basic strategy without looking — and that alone saves more money than any betting system.

When to break the chart

Never, unless you are counting cards in a dealt shoe game. Hunches, “the dealer is hot” or “the table is cold” are not reasons to deviate. The chart already contains the true probabilities.

Remember that basic strategy reduces the house edge but does not remove it. Use it to make your money last longer and your decisions calmer, not as a promise of profit.

Download or bookmark the full blackjack basic strategy chart with hard totals, soft hands and pairs against every dealer card. Blackjack is for adults over 18 only.