Strategy Guide

Blackjack Basic Strategy: The Complete Guide

Blackjack is the only casino game where skill meaningfully changes your odds. Using basic strategy reduces the house edge from around 2–4% to under 0.5% — the closest thing to an even game you'll find at any casino.

0.5% House edge with basic strategy

2–4% House edge playing by gut

~250 Possible hand combinations

What Is Basic Strategy?

Basic strategy is a mathematically derived set of rules that tells you the optimal play — hit, stand, double down, or split — for every possible combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. It was originally computed in the 1950s by four U.S. Army engineers and has been refined ever since using computer simulations of billions of hands.

It doesn't guarantee you'll win every hand. What it does is make the statistically correct decision every time, which over thousands of hands minimizes your losses to the smallest mathematically possible amount.

Key insight: Basic strategy doesn't tell you what will happen — it tells you what gives you the best chance. You'll still lose some hands you "should" win. That's variance, not a flaw in the strategy.

The Core Rules (Memorize These First)

Before diving into the full chart, these rules handle the majority of hands you'll face:

Never bust yourself on a stiff hand vs. a dealer 2–6. If the dealer shows 2–6, they're in trouble. Stand on anything 12+.
Always hit until 17+ vs. a dealer 7–Ace. The dealer is strong — you need to chase them.
Always split Aces and 8s. No exceptions.
Never split 5s or 10s. A pair of 5s is a 10 — double it. Splitting 10s turns a 20 into two mediocre hands.
Double 11 almost always. Against everything except a dealer Ace.
Never take insurance. It's a sucker bet with a house edge over 7%.

Hard Hands Strategy Chart

A "hard" hand has no Ace, or an Ace that must count as 1 (else you'd bust).

Stand

Hit

Double Down

Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft Hands Strategy Chart

A "soft" hand contains an Ace counting as 11. These hands can't bust on the first hit.

Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2 (soft 13)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,3 (soft 14)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 (soft 15)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,5 (soft 16)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6 (soft 17)	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7 (soft 18)	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A,8 (soft 19)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,9 (soft 20)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs Splitting Chart

When you're dealt a pair, you can split into two separate hands.

Split

Hit (don't split)

Stand (don't split)

Double (don't split)

Your Pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
3,3	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
6,6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
8,8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
9,9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP

The Logic Behind the Strategy

The dealer's upcard is everything. The key insight is that the dealer must follow fixed rules — they hit until reaching 17 or higher with no choice in the matter. When the dealer shows a 4, 5, or 6, they bust over 40% of the time. Your job in those spots is to not bust yourself and let the dealer self-destruct.

When the dealer shows a 7 through Ace, they're strong. You need to be aggressive — hit until at least 17, double when you have strong starting totals, and chase the dealer down rather than playing conservatively.

Why You Should Never Take Insurance

Insurance pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack. Sounds tempting. But the dealer only has blackjack about 30% of the time when showing an Ace. For insurance to break even, it would need to pay 2:1 with a 33% hit rate. At 30%, the house edge on insurance exceeds 7% — one of the worst bets on the table.

Why Soft 17 Is Different

An Ace gives you a safety net. Soft 17 (Ace + 6) can be hit aggressively because if you draw a 10, you have a hard 17 — the same place you started. You can only improve, or stay the same. This is why doubling down on soft 17 vs. a dealer's 3–6 is the correct play.

Practice Makes Perfect

Reading the chart is one thing. Having it automatic under pressure is another. The best way to internalize basic strategy is repetition with free-play blackjack — no money at risk, just drilling decisions until the right move feels instinctive.

Practice Basic Strategy for Free

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Key Takeaways

Basic strategy reduces the house edge from 2–4% down to about 0.5%
The dealer's upcard is the most important factor in every decision
Always split Aces and 8s — no exceptions
Never split 10s or 5s
Stand on 12–16 when the dealer shows 2–6; hit when they show 7 or higher
Never take insurance — it's a losing side bet regardless of your hand
Practice for free to build muscle memory before playing for real stakes