Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: Learn Perfect Blackjack

Interested in improving your Blackjack game? Read, memorise and download our perfect basic strategy chart to take your game to the next level, and learn more about why basic strategy lowers the house edge.

What is Blackjack Basic Strategy?

Blackjack basic strategy is the most mathematically optimal way to play every possible hand in Blackjack.

The action that you will take depends on both your hand and the dealer’s upcard. Basic strategy provides players with a set of predefined actions – hit, stand, double down, split or surrender. Following basic strategy perfectly maximises your chance of winning and reduces the house edge to around 0.5%

Basic strategy takes into account probability calculations and becomes useful where the common sense option isn’t so obvious – e.g. the decision to stand on 12 if the dealer has 4, 5 or 6.

Blackjack basic strategy does not guarantee wins, but it can significantly improve long-term results.

Basic strategy applies to both online blackjack and land-based casino settings. The chart may vary depending on rules but is mostly the same in most variants of blackjack. While there is nobody to police having the chart in front of you while playing online, we recommend memorising blackjack basic strategy for those social situations out at a real casino where such aids would not be permitted.

Before you work on your basic strategy, you should learn the basic rules of blackjack. Check out our handy how to play blackjack guide to start your blackjack journey.

Blackjack Basic Strategy chart new
Blackjack Basic Strategy chart

Basic Strategy Text Guide

More of a written learner than a visual learner? We’ve written out the above diagram as text.

When to Surrender

  • Surrender 16 against a dealer 9, 10, or Ace; otherwise, follow the hard total strategy.
  • Surrender 15 against a dealer 10; otherwise, follow the hard total strategy.

When to Split Pairs

  • Always split Aces to maximize your chances of making 21.
  • Never split 10s, as a total of 20 is a strong hand.
  • Split 9s against a dealer 2 through 6 and 8-9, but stand against 7, 10, or Ace.
  • Always split 8s to avoid starting with a weak 16.
  • Split 7s against a dealer 2 through 7; otherwise, hit.
  • Split 6s against a dealer 2 through 6; otherwise, hit.
  • Never split 5s—instead, double down against 2 through 9; otherwise, hit.
  • Split 4s only if the dealer shows 5 or 6; otherwise, hit.
  • Split 3s and 2s against a dealer 2 through 7; otherwise, hit.

Soft Hand Strategy (Hands Containing an Ace Treated as 11)

  • Soft 20 (A,9) – Always stand.
  • Soft 19 (A,8) – Double down against a dealer 6, otherwise stand.
  • Soft 18 (A,7) – Double down against a dealer 2 through 6, hit against 9, 10, or Ace, otherwise stand.
  • Soft 17 (A,6) – Double down against a dealer 3 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Soft 16 (A,5) and Soft 15 (A,4) – Double down against a dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Soft 14 (A,3) and Soft 13 (A,2) – Double down against a dealer 5 or 6, otherwise hit.

Hard Hand Strategy (Hands Without an Ace or When an Ace Counts as 1)

  • Hard 17 and above – Always stand.
  • Hard 16, 15, 14, and 13 – Stand against a dealer 2 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 12 – Stand against a dealer 4 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 11 – Always double down.
  • Hard 10 – Double down against a dealer 2 through 9, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 9 – Double down against a dealer 3 through 6, otherwise hit.
  • Hard 8 – Always hit.

Why is Blackjack Basic Strategy Important?

The importance of blackjack basic strategy can’t be overstated. As mentioned, memorising and playing with perfect strategy reduces the house edge, giving you the best possible chance of winning in the long run.

As players know, most casino games rely on luck alone. There are not many casino games that involve elements of skill, but blackjack involves decision making and every choice can impact your odds.

Why it’s essential:

  • Reduces the House Edge – The house edge is lowered to around 0.5% with perfect basic strategy. The standard house edge is considered to be 2% but may vary by game. This is a significant decrease in the house edge.
  • Reduces Mistakes – It’s easy to make mistakes while playing blackjack, especially when common sense tells you to hit on a weaker hand. In some cases, the risk of the dealer busting is greater than you hitting with a weaker hand. Blackjack basic strategy removes the guesswork from the equation
  • It Makes Blackjack More Fun – Knowing what to do makes blackjack more fun. It makes you feel like a professional of the game, and confident when approaching any real-life blackjack table.
  • Potential Increased Winnings – Knowing basic strategy isn’t a cheat code to beating the casino – they still have the house edge after all,

How to Memorise Blackjack Basic Strategy

Memorising perfect strategy can be overwhelming, but its important to remember that much of it follows logical decisions that you’d probably already make yourself, like always standing on hard 17, 18 and 19, and always hitting on all hard 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The nuances of blackjack perfect strategy come from those situations where the decision isn’t so clear cut, which is why memorising perfect strategy is so important.

Here are our tips to help you learn Blackjack Basic Strategy

Learn in Sections

Instead of trying to learn the entire chart, break it down into smaller parts

  • Hard Hands (Without Ace)
  • Soft Hands (With an Ace)
  • Pairs (Hands you can split)

Try mastering one section before moving on to the next.

Focus on the Easy Rules

Some rules are simple and will always apply

  • Always Split Aces and 8’s
  • Always double down on 11
  • Never take insurance or even money
  • If you can’t split because of limits, then consider your hand a hard total.

Play Free Blackjack Demos

Play Blackjack to further your knowledge and skill. We’ve added demo here, so play as much as you like with no investment and practice

Use our Colour-coded Chart

We’ve built a colour-coded chart for each action. These visual aids make it easier to recognise patterns. The charts visualise the rule to hit on 13, 14, 15, and 16 with a dealer’s 2-3 upcard and hit on everything else. This is already most of the hard total chart memorised.

Use Blackjack Trainer apps

If you’re a smartphone user then you can download apps that trains you on how to play blackjack, including feedback on your decisions and a percentage of correctly played hands over a long period. This will help you gauge how accurate you are, and what your weakest and strongest hands are.

You may also download a casino app or check out if your online casino has any free blackjack games for you to practice with.

Play at Home

You need only a deck of cards to play blackjack! Use a deck or combine multiple to better simulate a real blackjack deck, and play with someone at home to practice your game. Remember, Blackjack is more than just a gambling game, it’s a fun past time for many.

Watch us on Stream

Fruity Slots is known primarily for our love of online slots, (hence the name), but we love online blackjack too.

We regularly stream Blackjack on our gambling YouTube channel. Our streamers have great knowledge of blackjack, and make learning full and interactive. Sometimes we even host viewer play-alongs, with prizes up for grabs.

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Blackjack Basic Strategy FAQ

  • What is Basic Strategy?

    Basic Strategy is a mathematically proven set of decisions telling players which move to make. This strategy minimises the house edge.

  • Does Blackjack Basic Strategy Guarantee Wins?

    No. This isn’t a guaranteed winning strategy. Blackjack basic strategy can improve your odds in the long term, and playing with consistent basic strategy can reduce the house edge to 0.5%

  • How Can I Memorise Basic Strategy?

    Check out our handy chart! or break it down into sections, and sequences and learn the easy rules. Above all, practice playing

  • Is Basic Strategy Card Counting?

    No. Card counting is a more advanced technique. Card counting tracks the high and low cards drawn to determine the probability of favourable hands.

  • Are Basic Strategy Charts Allowed in a Casino?

    Some may discourage it or disallow it. Online casinos obviously have no restrictions as they simply cannot know if players are using such charts.

  • What Happens if I Don’t Use Basic Strategy?

    Not knowing or not following basic strategy can be detrimental to your game. Over a longer period, it reduces your chance of winning.