A printed basic strategy card with a blurred grid lying beside a two-card blackjack hand on green felt under cool steel-grey light (AI-generated image)
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Basic strategy, computed

Free Blackjack Strategy Chart: Basic Strategy for Any Table Rules

By Rowan Calder, Blackjack maths editor · Reviewed · How tables are measured

A six-deck shoe where the dealer stands on soft 17, doubling after a split is allowed and late surrender is offered leaves the house 0.33% when every hand is played by the blackjack strategy chart below. Change one rule on the placard and both the edge and a handful of cells in the chart move with it.

Every cell on this page comes from the same maths engine that prices the tables in our register, so the chart, the house edge and the calculator always agree. Nothing here is copied from a printed card. Where an Ontario table changes the rules, we show the chart for those rules and the extra cost they carry.

How to read the blackjack strategy chart

Each row is a hand you can hold after the first two cards. Hard totals come first, then soft totals where an ace still counts as 11, then pairs. Each column is the dealer’s upcard, from 2 to ace. Find your row, slide across to the upcard, and the code in that cell is the decision that costs the least.

H is hit and S is stand. Dh means double if the table lets you, otherwise hit, and Ds means double, otherwise stand. P is a split, while Ph and Ps say to split only when doubling after a split is allowed. Rh, Rs and Rp are surrender codes, with the fallback after the letter R.

6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, late surrenderHouse edge with this chart: 0.33 %
Hard totals
You2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHRH
16SSSSSHHRRR
17 or moreSSSSSSSSSS
Soft totals
You2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7SDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs
You2345678910A
2,2PhPhPPPPHHHH
3,3PhPhPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPhPhHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PhPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP
  • H Hit
  • S Stand
  • D Double (hit if not allowed)
  • Ds Double (stand if not allowed)
  • P Split
  • Ph Split if double after split is allowed
  • R Surrender (hit if not allowed)

Hard totals: where most hands are decided

Hard 8 or less is always a hit. Nothing you draw can bust you, and standing on 8 throws away a hand that can still improve. Hard 17 and above is always a stand on this chart. Between those two edges sit the rows that matter: 9, 10 and 11 for doubling, and 12 through 16 for hitting or standing.

Hard 11 doubles against every upcard from 2 to 10 and hits against an ace when the dealer stands on soft 17. Hard 10 doubles against 2 to 9. Hard 9 doubles only against 3, 4, 5 and 6. Against the dealer’s strongest cards the extra bet costs more than it returns, so the chart hits instead.

Hard 12 is the row most people get wrong. It hits against a 2 or a 3 and stands only against 4, 5 and 6. Hard 13 to 16 stand against 2 through 6, because those upcards bust most often, and hit against 7 through ace, where standing on a stiff total loses more than drawing.

The pattern is the dealer’s position, not yours. A 6 upcard busts far more often than a 10, so with 15 in front of you, the chart lets the dealer take that risk. Against a 10 the dealer will usually reach 17 or more, and 15 standing still is worth less than the chance of drawing a small card.

Soft totals and the soft 18 row

A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11, so one more card cannot bust it. That is why soft totals double so often. Soft 13 and 14 double against 5 and 6. Soft 15 and 16 double against 4, 5 and 6. Soft 17 doubles against 3 to 6 and hits against everything else on this chart.

Soft 18 is the row with three different answers. Against 3 to 6 it doubles, falling back to a stand. Against 2, 7 and 8 it stands. Against 9, 10 and ace it hits, which feels wrong to most players and is still the cheaper play. Soft 19 and soft 20 stand against every upcard on this rule set.

Pairs: when the basic strategy chart splits

Aces and 8s split against every upcard here. A pair of 8s is a hard 16, the worst total in the game, and two hands starting from 8 are worth more on average. Tens never split, since 20 is already a strong hand. A pair of 5s is played as hard 10, which means doubling against 2 to 9.

Nines split against 2 to 9 except a 7, and stand against 7, 10 and ace. Against a 7 your 18 already beats the dealer’s most likely 17. Sevens split against 2 to 7 and hit against 8 and higher. Sixes split against 3 to 6, and against a 2 only when doubling after a split is allowed.

Twos and threes split against 4 to 7, and against a 2 or 3 only with doubling after a split. A pair of 4s hits, except against 5 and 6 on a table with that same rule, where splitting edges out hitting. Take that rule away and the Ph cells turn into hits, and the house edge rises 0.14%.

Surrender: four cells on the free chart, if the table allows it

Late surrender lets you give up half your bet after the dealer checks for blackjack. On this six-deck chart with the dealer standing on soft 17, it applies to hard 15 against a 10 and hard 16 against 9, 10 and ace. Those four cells take the house edge from 0.41% down to 0.33%.

Surrender looks small on the chart and it is. It covers only hands that lose more than half their value on average anyway. When the dealer hits soft 17, the list grows: hard 15 and hard 17 against an ace, and 8,8 against an ace, all join it. If the table does not offer surrender, use the fallback letter.

Order of decisions on a basic strategy chart

Read the cell in a fixed order. Surrender comes first, because it is only available on the first two cards. Split comes next, then double, then hit or stand. A pair of 8s against a 10 on a table with surrender is a split, not a surrender, because the split cell takes priority on this rule set.

The fallback letters exist because no single blackjack strategy chart fits every table. When a cell says Dh and the table only allows doubling on 10 and 11, you hit a soft 17 against a 4 instead. When it says Ph and doubling after a split is barred, you hit. The second letter is the play without the rule.

How S17 and H17 rules change the blackjack strategy chart

When the dealer must hit soft 17, the dealer improves some of those hands and busts others, and the net effect is against you. On a six-deck shoe with doubling after a split, it adds 0.21% to the house edge, from 0.41% to 0.62%. Three cells on the chart change because of it.

Hard 11 now doubles against an ace too. Soft 18 doubles against a 2, falling back to a stand. Soft 19 doubles against a 6, with the same fallback. All three changes come from the dealer finishing weaker more often when a soft 17 has to draw, so a second bet on your strong hand pays its way.

The chart below is the hit-soft-17 version without surrender. Beside the first chart it differs in those three cells, and its surrender cells fall back to hits. Tables print the rule, usually as “dealer hits soft 17” or “dealer stands on all 17s”. In Ontario, Games Global’s Vegas Downtown and Vegas Single Deck deal H17.

6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after splitHouse edge with this chart: 0.62 %
Hard totals
You2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDD
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17 or moreSSSSSSSSSS
Soft totals
You2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7DsDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSDsSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs
You2345678910A
2,2PhPhPPPPHHHH
3,3PhPhPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPhPhHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PhPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP
  • H Hit
  • S Stand
  • D Double (hit if not allowed)
  • Ds Double (stand if not allowed)
  • P Split
  • Ph Split if double after split is allowed
  • R Surrender (hit if not allowed)

No-hole-card tables: the European chart

At a no-hole-card table the dealer takes a second card only after every player has acted. If the dealer then makes blackjack, the version of the rule decides what you lose. Under the strict form, doubles and splits go with the original bet. Under the original-bets-only form, the extra money comes back and only the first bet is lost.

The strict form changes three plays. Hard 11 against a 10 becomes a hit, since a double could be lost to a natural. Pairs of 8s against a 10 or an ace become hits, and so does a pair of aces against an ace. On six decks with S17, the strict rule adds 0.11% to the edge.

Where only the original bet is lost, the engine shows the chart is identical to a peek table and the edge stays at 0.41% on the same rules. Some land casinos print that gentler form in their rules of play. The chart below is the strict version, which is the one to use when the placard says nothing.

6 decks, European no hole card, dealer stands on soft 17House edge with this chart: 0.52 %
Hard totals
You2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDHH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17 or moreSSSSSSSSSS
Soft totals
You2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7SDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS
Pairs
You2345678910A
2,2PhPhPPPPHHHH
3,3PhPhPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPhPhHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PhPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPHH
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPH
  • H Hit
  • S Stand
  • D Double (hit if not allowed)
  • Ds Double (stand if not allowed)
  • P Split
  • Ph Split if double after split is allowed
  • R Surrender (hit if not allowed)

6:5 payouts and single deck tables

A 6:5 payout leaves every cell of the chart unchanged, because a natural offers no decision. It does change what the game costs. On six decks with the dealer standing on soft 17 and doubling after a split, the house edge goes from 0.41% at 3:2 to 1.77% at 6:5. That is more than four times as much.

6:5 blackjack is a bad table, full stop. A single-deck game paying 6:5 with the dealer hitting soft 17 and no doubling after a split comes out at 1.59%, worse than any standard six-deck shoe paying 3:2. Some land casinos run a 6:5 game that keeps the rules of their 3:2 table except the payout on a natural.

Single deck is the one case where the chart moves. The engine changes 18 cells against the six-deck chart, among them: double hard 8 against 5 and 6, hard 9 against a 2, hard 11 against an ace, soft 13 and 14 against a 4 and soft 17 against a 2. A pair of 7s against a 10 stands.

Between four and eight decks the differences shrink to almost nothing. With the dealer standing on soft 17 and doubling after a split, four decks cost 0.35%, six decks 0.41% and eight decks 0.43%. Two decks come in at 0.20%. For a live shoe of six or eight decks, the first chart on this page is the right one.

House edge with blackjack basic strategy, by rule set

The table below lists the computed house edge for each rule preset our charts and calculator use. Each figure assumes the chart for those rules is followed on every decision, including hands after a hit and the play of split hands, with a fresh shuffle every round and insurance always declined.

Rule setHouse edge
6 decks, S17, DAS, late surrender0.33%
6 decks, S17, DAS0.41%
8 decks, S17, DAS0.43%
6 decks, European no hole card, S17 (strict)0.52%
8 decks, S17, no DAS, one split0.61%
6 decks, H17, DAS0.62%
Single deck, H17, 6:5, no DAS1.59%

Read the spread before you read the rows. Switching from a good six-deck table to a 6:5 game costs far more than every chart mistake most players make put together. Inside the 3:2 tables, soft 17 and doubling after a split are the two rules worth checking first, and surrender is the third.

Change the rules, see the edge

The calculator below starts from the same six-deck rule set as the first chart. Change the deck count, the soft 17 rule, the payout, the doubling and splitting rules, surrender and the hole-card rule, and it recomputes the house edge with the same engine. The chart for your rules updates on our calculator page as well.

Decks
Soft 17
Blackjack pays
Double on
Double after split
Split up to
Surrender
Dealer peeks
No hole card: a dealer blackjack takes
House edge with these rules
0.33 %
  1. Late surrender−0.07 %

Baseline: 6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, 3:2, double after split, split to 4 hands, dealer peeks — 0.41 %. The figure assumes basic strategy on every decision.

Treat each figure as the long-run cost of a table, not as a forecast for a session. A 0.41% edge means that across a very large number of hands, the house keeps about C$0.41 of every C$100 wagered. Any single evening can land well above or below that, in either direction.

Common mistakes that cost the most

Taking insurance is the most expensive habit on the list. It is a separate bet that the hole card is a ten, and in a multi-deck shoe the price does not cover the risk. Basic strategy never takes it, and that includes even money on your own blackjack. Our figures assume insurance is always declined.

Standing on hard 16 against a 10 feels safe and is not. Without surrender the chart hits, and with surrender it gives up half the bet. Standing on 12 against a 2 or 3 is the same mistake from the other side: the dealer does not bust often enough with those cards to justify waiting for it.

Splitting tens is the costly split. You break up a 20 to chase two hands that will usually finish lower. Standing on soft 18 against a 9, 10 or ace is the costly stand, and hitting hard 11 against a 10 is the costly timid play. Every one of these departures adds to the house edge over time.

Does basic strategy apply online and at live tables?

RNG blackjack reshuffles every round, matching the assumption behind these charts, so the same chart is the blackjack strategy for online casino tables. Live dealer tables deal from a six- or eight-deck shoe, so the multi-deck chart applies. In Ontario, Evolution’s live blackjack is dealt at six of the 11 registered sites, under rules that differ by table.

Infinite Blackjack is a good example of why the placard matters. Evolution’s help file lists eight decks, the dealer standing on soft 17, no doubling after a split, one split only and a six-card charlie. The base chart is close, but the published RTP of 99.47% is the figure to quote, and our register does so.

Free Bet Blackjack needs a chart of its own. Free doubles and splits change the value of many hands, and a dealer 22 pushes. Evolution’s Free Bet Blackjack runs at C$10 to C$9,000 with a published RTP of 98.26%. Its chart is on our variants page, along with Infinite Blackjack and other rule changes.

Using a printed chart at the table

Online, keeping a chart open in another window is entirely up to you. The game has no view of your screen, and the decisions on this page apply to any standard RNG or live table. Our register shows which chart preset fits each table, so you can open the right one before the first hand is dealt.

In a land casino, each venue sets its own house rules on cards at the table, and those rules can differ from one pit to the next. Ask the dealer or the floor supervisor before you lay a card on the felt, and keep it away from the betting area so it never looks like a wager.

If you print a blackjack strategy chart, print the one for the rules you will actually meet. A card made for a six-deck shoe where the dealer stands on soft 17 gives three wrong answers at a table where the dealer hits it, and four more at a strict no-hole-card table. Each wrong cell costs a little, every time.

Memorizing a free basic strategy chart in blocks

Learning cell by cell is slow. Learning by block is faster: first hard 12 to 17, which cover most of the uncomfortable hands, then doubling on 9, 10 and 11, then pairs, then soft totals. Each block has a short rule behind it, such as standing on 13 to 16 against a 2 through 6.

Flashcards work well for the hard cells that break the pattern: 12 against 2 and 3, soft 18 against 9, 10 and ace, and 9,9 against a 7. Drill a block until the answer arrives before you think about it. Playing for the table minimum with the chart open is a cheap way to check yourself.

Blocks stick faster when you are tested on them out of order. Our blackjack trainer deals random hands against random upcards on the same six-deck rules as this chart and checks every decision, with drills for hard totals, soft totals and pairs. It keeps no record between visits and involves no money, so a block can be drilled again.

Where blackjack basic strategy came from

The first close version of blackjack basic strategy was published in 1956 by Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott, four soldiers who worked it out on desk calculators. Edward Thorp later refined the numbers with computer runs in the early 1960s, and printed charts have been built on that work ever since.

Our charts take a different route to the same kind of answer. The engine enumerates every starting deal, computes the dealer’s outcomes for the exact cards left in the shoe, and values each play from those numbers. Over four, six and eight decks its charts match published Wizard of Odds tables cell for cell, for both soft 17 rules.

What to check on the placard before you sit down

Look for four things on the sign or in the game’s help screen: the number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, the payout on a natural, and whether surrender and doubling after a split are offered. Those four lines decide which chart applies and most of the house edge.

Then match the rules to a preset, here or in the calculator, and check the cells that differ from the chart you know. If the payout reads 6:5, no chart fixes that table. If the help file leaves a rule out, assume the stricter version until the operator or dealer confirms the rule in writing.

Questions at the table

Frequently asked questions

What is basic strategy in blackjack?

Basic strategy is the set of decisions, one for each combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard, that gives up the least money on average under a given set of table rules. It is worked out by computing the expected value of hitting, standing, doubling, splitting and surrendering, then picking the option with the best long-run result.

Does basic strategy give you an edge over the casino?

No. Basic strategy lowers the house edge to its minimum for the rules on the table, but under the rules Ontario tables deal the edge stays positive for the house. On a six-deck shoe with the dealer standing on soft 17 and late surrender it sits at 0.33%. Every departure from the chart costs more on average.

Does blackjack basic strategy work?

It does what it claims to do: it is the play that loses the least over a long run of hands. It cannot change the result of a single hand or a short session, where the cards drawn decide everything. Over thousands of hands, a player who follows the chart pays close to the computed house edge and no more.

How do you read a blackjack strategy chart?

Find the row for your hand: hard totals, soft totals with an ace counted as 11, or pairs. Then find the column for the dealer's upcard, 2 through ace. The code in that cell is the play. H means hit, S stand, Dh double or else hit, Ds double or else stand, P split, and the R codes mean surrender if the table allows it.

What does R mean on a blackjack chart?

R stands for surrender: you give up half your bet and the hand ends. Rh means surrender if the table offers it, otherwise hit; Rs means surrender, otherwise stand; Rp means surrender, otherwise split. On a six-deck table where the dealer stands on soft 17, only hard 15 against a 10 and hard 16 against 9, 10 or ace carry an R code.

Can I use a blackjack strategy card at the table?

Online, nothing stops you from keeping a chart open next to the game, since neither RNG nor live tables have any view of your screen. In a land casino the house rules of each venue apply, so ask the dealer or the floor supervisor before you put a card on the felt. A printed chart for the right rules is the one worth carrying.

Does basic strategy work on online blackjack?

Yes, as long as the online table deals standard rules. RNG blackjack reshuffles for every round, which matches the fresh-shoe assumption the chart is built on. Live dealer tables deal from a physical shoe. Variants with changed rules, such as Free Bet Blackjack with its dealer 22 push, need their own chart and are covered on our variants page.

Does blackjack strategy change based on the number of decks?

A little. Between four, six and eight decks the chart is almost identical and the edge moves only a few hundredths of a percent. Single and double deck change more cells. With one deck, for example, you double 8 against a 5 or 6, double 11 against an ace and stand on 7,7 against a 10.

Does blackjack strategy change when the dealer hits soft 17?

Three cells change on a six-deck chart with doubling after a split: double 11 against an ace, double soft 18 against a 2, and double soft 19 against a 6. With late surrender also offered, hard 15 and hard 17 against an ace and 8,8 against an ace become surrender plays. The rule adds 0.21% to the house edge.

What is ENHC basic strategy?

ENHC means European no hole card: the dealer takes the second card only after the players have acted. Where doubles and splits are lost to a dealer blackjack, the chart stops doubling 11 against a 10 and stops splitting 8,8 or aces against an ace. Where only the original bet is lost, the chart is the same as on a peek table.

When should you split pairs in blackjack?

On a six-deck chart: always split aces and 8s, never split 10s or 5s, split 9s against 2 to 9 except 7, split 7s against 2 to 7, split 2s and 3s against 4 to 7, and 6s against 3 to 6. With double after split, 2s and 3s also split against 2 or 3, 6s against 2, and 4s against 5 or 6.

When should you double down in blackjack?

On a six-deck chart with the dealer standing on soft 17, double hard 11 against 2 to 10, hard 10 against 2 to 9 and hard 9 against 3 to 6. Soft hands double against weak upcards: soft 13 and 14 against 5 and 6, soft 15 and 16 against 4 to 6, soft 17 and 18 against 3 to 6.

Should you ever take insurance?

Basic strategy never takes insurance or even money. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer's hole card is a ten-value card, and in a multi-deck shoe that happens less than a third of the time while the bet pays 2:1. Our house edge figures assume insurance is always declined, which is the cheaper choice on average.

How do you memorize blackjack basic strategy?

Learn it in blocks instead of cell by cell. Start with hard 12 to 17, which cover most of the difficult hands, then doubling on 9, 10 and 11, then pairs, then soft totals. Drill each block with flashcards until the answer is automatic, and keep the chart open while playing for small amounts until you stop needing it.

Are blackjack odds 50/50?

No. The player busts first and loses that hand even if the dealer busts afterwards, which is where most of the house edge comes from. Naturals paid at 3:2, doubling and splitting give some of it back. With basic strategy on a good six-deck table, the house keeps between roughly 0.3% and 0.7% of the total amount wagered over time.

What is the difference between 3:2 and 6:5 blackjack?

It is the payout on a natural. At 3:2 a C$10 blackjack pays C$15, at 6:5 it pays C$12. The chart itself does not change, because a natural involves no decision, but on a six-deck shoe with the dealer standing on soft 17 the house edge rises from 0.41% to 1.77%.

Who invented blackjack basic strategy?

Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott published the first close version in 1956, worked out with desk calculators while serving in the US Army. Edward Thorp later refined it with computer simulations in the early 1960s. The charts on this page come from a modern exact computation, not from either source.

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