Blackjack Strategy: The Basic Strategy Chart Explained

Blackjack strategy is a set of mathematically calculated decisions for every player hand against every dealer upcard. A blackjack chart puts those decisions into one table, showing when the optimal play is to hit, stand, double down or split.

Using basic strategy correctly can reduce the house edge to under 1% on favorable blackjack rules. It does not guarantee a profit or make individual hands predictable: blackjack remains a game of chance, and even mathematically correct decisions can lose.

New to the game itself? Start with our guide to how to play blackjack before using the strategy chart below.

Main Concept

• Stand on hard 17 or higher.

• With hard 12–16, you will generally stand against dealer 4–6 and hit against stronger upcards.

• Split aces and eights; do not split tens or fives.

• Basic strategy reduces the mathematical disadvantage of your decisions. It does not guarantee that you will win a hand, session or any amount of money.

The Blackjack Strategy Chart

The blackjack strategy chart below covers Shuffle Originals Blackjack's standard rules: an infinite deck, blackjack paying 3:2, the dealer standing on all 17s including soft 17 (S17), a dealer peek with an ace or ten-value card showing, doubling on the first two cards, doubling after a split and no re-splitting. Shuffle Originals Blackjack publishes a 99.48% RTP with correct play.

An infinite deck means every new card is effectively drawn from a fresh full deck, so the probability of each rank does not change as cards are dealt. Its basic strategy is almost identical to standard four-to-eight-deck S17 strategy, with a small number of borderline soft-hand adjustments.

If you are playing another blackjack game, check its rules first. In particular, an H17 table—where the dealer hits soft 17—changes a handful of optimal decisions.

Chart key:

• H = Hit

• S = Stand

• D/H = Double if allowed; otherwise hit

• D/S = Double if allowed; otherwise stand

• P = Split

Hard totals

A hard hand either contains no ace or contains an ace that must count as 1 to avoid going over 21.

Soft totals

A soft hand contains an ace that can still count as 11 without taking the total above 21.

Pairs

When your first two cards have the same value, splitting may be available. If you do not split fives or tens, play them as hard 10 and hard 20 respectively.

For comparison, established multi-deck S17 strategy follows the same core patterns: hard 12 stands against 4–6, hard 13–16 stands against 2–6, aces and eights are split, and tens and fives are not.

How to Read the Chart

You do not need to memorize the full blackjack strategy chart before using it. Read it one decision at a time:

1. Find your hand in the left-hand column. Use the hard totals table, soft totals table or pairs table depending on your first two cards.

2. Find the dealer's visible upcard across the top. Only use the card you can see—not a guess about the dealer's hidden card.

3. Find where the row and column meet. The letter in that cell tells you the basic-strategy action.

4. Make the indicated play. For example, if you have a hard 16 and the dealer shows a 6, the chart says

   S for stand. If the dealer instead shows a 10, it says H for hit.

The chart is based on expected value across repeated situations. It is not trying to predict what the next card will be.

Why Basic Strategy Works

Blackjack differs from many casino games because player decisions affect the game's expected return. Hitting, standing, doubling or splitting in the wrong situation can increase the mathematical advantage already held by the house. That is one of the clearest contrasts between baccarat and blackjack: in baccarat, your only meaningful decision is which side to back before the cards are dealt, while blackjack asks you to make several decisions every hand.

Basic strategy compares the expected outcome of each available action and selects the decision with the highest expected value—or, in many unfavorable situations, the smallest expected loss.

That distinction matters. "Optimal" does not mean "this move will win." It means that, given the information available, no other legal decision produces a better long-term mathematical expectation.

On Shuffle Originals Blackjack, correct play corresponds to a published RTP of 99.48%, equivalent to a house edge of about 0.52%. By comparison, common estimates put typical unstudied play at an overall house edge of roughly 1.5–2%, because everyday decision errors add up on top of the game's built-in disadvantage.

That is the purpose of basic strategy: not to manufacture an advantage, but to avoid giving away more expected value through avoidable decisions.

When to Hit or Stand

The most common blackjack strategy decision is whether to hit or stand.

A useful starting rule is to separate the dealer's weaker upcards—especially 4, 5 and 6—from stronger cards such as 7 through ace.

With a hard 12, basic strategy says to stand against dealer 4–6 and hit against 2, 3 or 7 through ace.

With a hard 13 through 16, stand against dealer 2–6 and hit against 7 through ace.

Why stand on an uncomfortable total like 14 or 15 against a dealer 5? Because hitting carries a significant bust risk, while the dealer is forced to continue drawing until reaching at least 17. When the dealer starts with a 4, 5 or 6, allowing the dealer to complete that forced sequence can be better mathematically than taking another card yourself.

Against a 7 or higher, the balance changes. The dealer is more likely to finish with a competitive made hand, so simply standing on 12–16 becomes less attractive.

Hard 17 and above should stand under this chart.

Soft hands behave differently because an ace can move from 11 to 1. A soft 17, for example, cannot bust with one additional card, so hitting or doubling can be correct even though "17" sounds like a total you would normally keep.

When to Double Down

Doubling down increases your initial wager in exchange for receiving exactly one more card. That makes it most useful when your starting hand has a strong mathematical position against the dealer.

The simplest totals to remember are 9, 10 and 11:

• Hard 9: double against dealer 3–6; otherwise hit.

• Hard 10: double against dealer 2–9; hit against 10 or ace.

• Hard 11: double against dealer 2–10; hit against ace under this S17 chart.

For example, suppose you have 6 + 5 for a hard 11 and the dealer shows a 6. Eleven is a strong drawing total because any ten-value card gives you 21, while the dealer's 6 is a comparatively vulnerable upcard. Basic strategy therefore calls for a double.

Soft hands also create doubling opportunities. A hand such as A,6 can improve in several ways without immediately risking a bust, which is why the chart calls for a double against dealer 3–6.

Doubling is not about confidence or increasing a bet because a hand "looks good." It is a specific mathematical decision tied to both your cards and the dealer's upcard.

When to Split

Splitting turns a pair into two separate starting hands, with an additional wager placed on the new hand.

Four pair rules do much of the heavy lifting:

Split aces. Two aces together make soft 12, which is not a particularly strong starting hand. Splitting gives each ace a chance to form a strong total with its next card.

Split eights. A pair of eights makes hard 16, one of blackjack's weakest totals. Splitting does not guarantee a good result, but mathematically it is preferable to playing the 16 as one hand under the rules used for this chart.

Do not split tens. Two tens already make 20, one of the strongest possible totals. Breaking a 20 into two new hands gives up substantial value.

Do not split fives. A pair of fives is better treated as hard 10, giving you strong doubling opportunities against dealer 2–9.

The other pairs depend more heavily on the dealer's upcard. For example, split nines against 2–6 and 8–9, but stand on the 18 against 7, 10 or ace.

Blackjack Tips: How to Win More Often

There is no blackjack trick that can make winning inevitable. In practical terms, "winning more often" means avoiding decisions and table conditions that unnecessarily increase the house edge. Variance still determines short-term results, and losing sessions remain possible even with perfect strategy.

Choose 3:2 blackjack over 6:5

Check the blackjack payout before you play. A natural blackjack paying 3:2 is substantially more favorable than one paying 6:5. Changing the payout from 3:2 to 6:5 adds about 1.39 percentage points to the house edge under otherwise standard rules.

Prefer S17 when the other rules are comparable

"S17" means the dealer stands on soft 17. "H17" means the dealer hits it. All else being equal, S17 is better for the player: making the dealer hit soft 17 adds roughly 0.22 percentage points to the house edge.

When comparing online blackjack tables, check the full rules rather than assuming every version of the game has the same expected return.

Skip insurance under basic strategy

Insurance is a separate wager offered when the dealer shows an ace. Although its 2:1 payout can look attractive, the probability of the dealer completing blackjack is not high enough to make insurance a favorable standard bet.

Declining insurance is therefore part of basic strategy. It does not mean the dealer will not have blackjack on that particular hand; it means the insurance bet has negative expected value over repeated plays.

Control your bet size

Basic strategy tells you how to play your cards, not how much to wager.

Set limits before playing and choose stakes that allow for normal swings without requiring you to increase your bet after a loss. Raising bets to recover previous losses changes the amount of money at risk; it does not change the probability distribution of the next hand.

Betting systems do not change blackjack's math

Progression systems—whether they tell you to increase bets after losses, wins or a particular sequence—do not remove the house edge.

A betting pattern can change volatility and the size of individual wins or losses, but it does not make an unfavorable wager favorable. Each blackjack decision should still be evaluated using the cards, the dealer's upcard and the table rules.

If you want to see how these strategy decisions apply under Shuffle's published rules, you can practice them on our provably fair blackjack game, Shuffle Originals Blackjack, which publishes a 99.48% RTP with correct play and lets you independently verify every hand.

Blackjack Odds and House Edge

Blackjack odds are not represented by one universal percentage because the house edge changes with the rules and with player decisions.

Under the rules used for the chart on this page, Shuffle Originals Blackjack publishes a 99.48% RTP with correct play, corresponding to a house edge of approximately 0.52%. That is a long-run mathematical figure, not a prediction for an individual session.

Rule changes can move that number significantly. A 6:5 blackjack payout, H17 dealer rule, restrictions on doubling or different splitting rules can all increase the house edge. Conversely, more favorable rules can reduce it.

Insurance also has its own odds and should be treated as a separate wager rather than a way to make the main hand "safer."

Most importantly, a low house edge does not mean a low chance of losing any particular hand. RTP and house edge describe theoretical results across a very large number of wagers. Short-term outcomes can differ substantially.

Does Strategy Change in Different Blackjack Games?

Yes. Basic strategy depends on the exact rules of the game.

The chart above covers a standard S17 game under Shuffle Originals Blackjack's published rules. It should not be treated as a universal decision table for every game carrying the blackjack name.

For example:

• An H17 game changes several borderline doubling decisions.

• Six Card Charlie rules can alter the value of continuing to draw because reaching six cards without busting may create a special win condition.

• Games with fees, multipliers or modified payouts can produce different expected values.

• Restrictions on doubling or splitting can change both the first choice and the correct fallback action.

• A blackjack paying 6:5 instead of 3:2 has a substantially different house edge even if most playing decisions remain familiar.

Check the rules displayed for the specific game before applying a blackjack strategy chart. Every table in our Live Casino Games lobby lists its full ruleset before you join — Live Blackjack included. When a variant changes the underlying payoff structure, use strategy calculated for that variant rather than assuming the standard table remains optimal.

FAQ

What is the best blackjack strategy?

Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal set of hit, stand, double and split decisions for a defined blackjack ruleset. It minimizes the house advantage created by player decisions, but it does not guarantee a win or make blackjack profitable.

Does basic strategy guarantee a win?

No. Basic strategy cannot guarantee that you win an individual hand or a playing session. It chooses the action with the best mathematical expected value in each situation, which may still have a negative expectation.

When should you hit in blackjack?

It depends on your hand and the dealer's upcard. Under the chart above, hard totals of 11 or lower generally hit unless a double is available, hard 12 hits against 2, 3 and 7 through ace, and hard 13–16 hits against dealer 7 through ace. Soft hands have their own decision matrix because the ace can count as either 1 or 11.

Should you always split aces and eights?

Under standard blackjack basic strategy, yes. Splitting aces creates two opportunities to build a strong hand from an ace, while splitting eights avoids playing a hard 16 as one hand. The chart on this page calls for a split against every dealer upcard for both pairs.

Is card counting a blackjack strategy?

Card counting and basic strategy are different things. Basic strategy uses your hand, the dealer's upcard and the table rules to choose a decision. Card counting attempts to use information about cards already dealt to estimate changes in the remaining deck.

It is also largely irrelevant to games that effectively reset card probabilities. Shuffle Originals Blackjack, for example, uses an infinite deck, meaning each new card is drawn with the same probability distribution rather than from a diminishing shoe.

Blackjack is a game of chance. Strategy can reduce the mathematical cost of incorrect decisions, but it cannot remove risk or guarantee returns. Decide what you are comfortable losing before playing, use available loss and wager limits where appropriate, and never chase previous losses. If gambling stops being fun, support is available. 18+.