Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

The team at LegalOnlineBlackjack.com have made this  complete blackjack basic strategy chart, the thing that helps you during every possible player hand against every possible dealer up card. These basic blackjack charts are based on standard multi-deck rules: 6 or 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, late surrender available. This covers the most common game format you will encounter at regulated online casinos and major offshore platforms.

If you are new to basic strategy, read our Basic Strategy overview first to understand how the chart works and what each decision means. For academic background on how these charts were developed, see Wikipedia's section on blackjack basic strategy.

How to Read These Charts

  • The left column shows your hand (player total or pair)
  • The top row shows the dealer's up card (2 through Ace)
  • The cell where they intersect is the correct play

Key

Abbreviation Meaning
H Hit
S Stand
D Double Down (if not allowed, Hit)
Ds Double Down (if not allowed, Stand)
P Split
Ph Split if Double After Split allowed; otherwise Hit
Pd Split if Double After Split allowed; otherwise Double
Ps Split if Double After Split allowed; otherwise Stand
R Surrender (if not allowed, Hit)
Rs Surrender (if not allowed, Stand)
Rp Surrender (if not allowed, Split)

Chart 1: Hard Hands

Hard hands are hands without a flexible Ace — either no Ace at all, or an Ace that must count as 1 to avoid busting.

Player Hand 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Hard 5–8 H H H H H H H H H H
Hard 9 H D D D D H H H H H
Hard 10 D D D D D D D D H H
Hard 11 D D D D D D D D D H
Hard 12 H H S S S H H H H H
Hard 13 S S S S S H H H H H
Hard 14 S S S S S H H H H H
Hard 15 S S S S S H H H R R
Hard 16 S S S S S H H R R R
Hard 17+ S S S S S S S S S Rs

Chart 2: Soft Hands

Soft hands contain an Ace currently counted as 11. You cannot bust on the next card because the Ace can drop to 1.

Player Hand 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Soft 13 (A+2) H H H D D H H H H H
Soft 14 (A+3) H H H D D H H H H H
Soft 15 (A+4) H H D D D H H H H H
Soft 16 (A+5) H H D D D H H H H H
Soft 17 (A+6) H D D D D H H H H H
Soft 18 (A+7) Ds Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H H
Soft 19 (A+8) S S S S Ds S S S S S
Soft 20 (A+9) S S S S S S S S S S

Chart 3: Pairs

When your first two cards are of equal value, you have the option to split. The chart below shows when splitting is the correct play versus playing the hand as a total.

Pair 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A-A P P P P P P P P P P
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
9-9 P P P P P S P P S S
8-8 P P P P P P P P Rp Rp
7-7 P P P P P P H H H H
6-6 Ph P P P P H H H H H
5-5 D D D D D D D D H H
4-4 H H H Ph Ph H H H H H
3-3 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H
2-2 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H

The Most Important Rules to Memorize First

If you are just starting out, these "always" and "never" rules cover a large portion of all hands and are fast to memorize:

Rule No Exceptions
Always split Aces Against all dealer cards
Always split 8s Against all dealer cards (surrender against 9, 10, Ace if available)
Never split 10-value cards Stand on 20 — always
Never split 5s Treat as hard 10 — double or hit
Always stand on hard 17+ Against all dealer cards
Always hit hard 8 or below Against all dealer cards
Never take insurance Not a basic strategy play

Chart Notes and Nuances

Hard 17 Against a Dealer Ace

The chart shows Rs (surrender if available, otherwise stand) for hard 17 against a dealer Ace. This is one of the less intuitive calls on the chart. Hard 17 is not a strong hand, and against a dealer showing an Ace there is a meaningful probability of losing the full bet. If surrender is available, it is the slightly better play. If not, standing is correct — not hitting, as busting risk is too high.

Hard 12 Against a 2 or 3

The chart says hit hard 12 against dealer 2 and 3, and stand against dealer 4, 5, and 6. This surprises many players who expect to stand on 12 against all low dealer cards. The difference is that a dealer showing 2 or 3 makes a strong hand more often than a dealer showing 4, 5, or 6 — so your 12 needs to fight for itself rather than passively hoping the dealer busts.

Soft 18 Against a Strong Dealer

The chart shows hitting soft 18 against a dealer 9, 10, or Ace. Many players refuse to hit 18, thinking it is strong enough. But soft 18 loses more often than it wins against strong dealer cards, and the ability to improve without busting (the Ace drops from 11 to 1 if needed) makes hitting the higher expected-value play.

Pair of 9s Against a 7

Stand with a pair of 9s against a dealer 7. This seems odd — why not split when you would split against most other cards? Because a total of 18 beats the dealer's most likely hand (17, since a 7 underneath gives the dealer 17 and they must stand). Splitting 9s against a 7 turns a likely winner into two uncertain hands.

Strategy Adjustments for Different Rule Sets

The charts above apply to standard 6-deck games with dealer standing on soft 17. Here are the key adjustments for common rule variations:

Rule Variation Key Adjustments
Dealer Hits Soft 17 (H17) Double soft 19 vs dealer 6; double hard 11 vs Ace; surrender hard 15 vs Ace
Single Deck Double hard 8 vs dealer 5 and 6; do not double soft 18 vs dealer 2; several pair adjustments apply
Double Deck Minor adjustments — closer to single-deck than 6-deck in most situations
No Surrender Hit all R hands; Stand all Rs hands
No Double After Split Do not split some pairs (2s, 3s, 6s vs weak dealer cards) when DAS is the only justification

For game-specific strategies, see our Game Variants section.

Using This Chart in Practice

Print this page or save it on your phone. When playing online, keep it open in a separate tab. Reference it on every hand while you are learning — there is no penalty for using a strategy chart during online play, and most physical casinos allow strategy cards at the table as well.

The goal is to eventually know this chart without looking at it. That level of fluency comes from repetition. Use a strategy trainer alongside free-play practice sessions to accelerate the memorization process.

Detailed Strategy Pages