Blackjack Strategy Chart

The best play for every hand, for six decks where the dealer hits soft 17: the rules at our free Blackjack table. Follow it and the house keeps about 58¢ of every $100 you bet.

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How to read it

Find your hand down the left side and the dealer's face-up card across the top. Where they meet is your play. Look in Pairs first if your two cards match, then Soft totals if you have an Ace counted as 11, and otherwise Hard totals.

Blackjack basic strategy: the best play for each of your hands against each dealer upcard
Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard totals
≤8	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
9	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
10	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit
11	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit
12	Hit	Hit	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
13	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
14	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
15	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Give up, else hit	Give up, else hit
16	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Give up, else hit	Give up, else hit	Give up, else hit
17	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Give up, else stand
18+	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
Soft totals (with an Ace)
A,2	Hit	Hit	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,3	Hit	Hit	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,4	Hit	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,5	Hit	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,6	Hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,7	Double, else stand	Double, else stand	Double, else stand	Double, else stand	Double, else stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,8	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Double, else stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
A,9	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
Pairs
2,2	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
3,3	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
4,4	Hit	Hit	Hit	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
5,5	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Double, else hit	Hit	Hit
6,6	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
7,7	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
8,8	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Give up, else split
9,9	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Stand	Split	Split	Stand	Stand
10,10	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
A,A	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split

H Hit
S Stand
D Double, or hit if you can't
Ds Double, or stand if you can't
P Split
Rh Give up, or hit if you can't
Rs Give up, or stand if you can't
Rp Give up, or split if you can't

"Give up" is surrender: fold your first two cards and get half your bet back. "If you can't" means the move isn't allowed right now, for example doubling after you've already hit.

The one exception

A hard 16 made of three or more cards (like 4, 5, 7) stands against a dealer 10. The chart says give up, or hit, but that's for a two-card 16. Once small cards have come out, the 16 is worth keeping.

The rules this chart is for

Six decks, reshuffled when about ¾ have been dealt
The dealer hits soft 17
Blackjack pays 3 to 2
Double on any first two cards, and after splitting
Give up (late surrender) allowed

If your table's rules are different, only a few cells change:

Dealer stands on soft 17: hit 11 against an Ace, stand on A,7 against a 2, stand on A,8 against a 6, hit 15 against an Ace, stand on 17 against an Ace, and split 8s against an Ace.
No surrender: every Rh becomes a hit, Rs a stand and Rp a split.
No double after splitting: split a little less often. Small pairs against weak dealer cards are worth less when you can't double the new hands.

The rules of thumb

Always split Aces and 8s (but give up 8s against an Ace here).
Never split 5s or 10s. Play them as 10 and 20.
Double 11 against anything, and 10 against 2 to 9.
With 13 to 16, stand against 2 to 6 and hit against 7 or higher. 12 stands only against 4 to 6.
Stand on hard 17 or more (but give up 17 against an Ace).
Never take insurance or even money.

Questions

Is this chart proven?

Yes. We worked out every cell with an exact calculation of each play's value, and checked the whole chart against ten million simulated hands. Played this way, the game keeps 0.58% of every bet.

Should I ever take insurance?

No. Insurance keeps about 7.4% of what you put on it, far more than the game itself. Even money on a blackjack against an Ace is the same bet in disguise.

Why hit 12 against a 2 or a 3?

Only a 10-value card busts a 12, and the dealer busts less often with a 2 or a 3 showing than with a 4, 5 or 6. Against a 2 or 3, taking a card loses a little less over time than standing.

Why double 11 against an Ace?

Because the dealer here hits soft 17, which makes the dealer's Ace a little weaker. At a table where the dealer stands on soft 17, just hit instead.

Can I use a strategy card at a casino?

Generally, yes. Most casinos let you keep one at the table, as long as you don't slow the game down. Better still, learn it first: our free table has a Learn mode that shows the best play for every hand while you play.

Practice it free

More free games

Blackjack: Vegas rules from a six-deck shoe, with side bets and this chart built in.
War Blackjack: blackjack plus a War bet on your first card against the dealer's.
Bubble Craps: the dice-in-a-bubble craps machine, regular or crapless.
All Mini Velvet games

Play money only. No real wagering.