Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart: The Optimal Play for Every Hand

The short answer

Basic strategy is a set of rules that tells you the mathematically best play for every possible blackjack hand. It doesn't guarantee you'll win any single hand, but it cuts the house edge to its lowest possible level, typically between 0.4% and 0.6% depending on the table rules.

The chart below is interactive. Select your table's rules at the top (number of decks, whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17, whether you can double after splitting, and whether surrender is available), then look up your hand against the dealer's upcard. The chart adjusts automatically. Every cell comes from published basic strategy tables verified against multiple sources.

How to use the chart

1. Set your rules using the toggles above the chart. Most casino shoe games are 6 or 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), double after split allowed (DAS), and no surrender.
2. Find your hand in the rows. Hard totals (no ace counting as 11), soft totals (ace counting as 11), and pairs each have their own tab.
3. Find the dealer's upcard in the columns (2 through Ace).
4. Read the colored cell. Green means stand, red means hit, blue means double down, purple means split, and pink means surrender.

What is basic strategy?

Basic strategy was first calculated in the 1950s by a group of US Army mathematicians — Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott — and later refined by Edward Thorp in his 1962 book Beat the Dealer. Today, computer simulations running billions of hands have confirmed the optimal play for every combination of player hand, dealer upcard, and rule set.

The strategy works because blackjack is a game of dependent trials. Each card dealt changes the composition of the remaining shoe, and the math behind basic strategy accounts for these probabilities. Unlike slots or roulette, your decisions in blackjack materially affect your expected return. For a deeper dive into exactly how the house edge shifts, see our guide on how table rules change the blackjack edge.

Hard totals explained

A hard total is any hand without an ace counting as 11, or any hand where the ace must count as 1 to avoid busting. Hard 16 against a dealer 10 is the most feared hand in blackjack, and basic strategy says to hit it (or surrender it if available). The math is clear: standing on hard 16 vs a 10 loses about 54% of the time, while hitting loses about 50%. Neither is good, but hitting is less bad.

The general pattern for hard totals is simple: hit low totals, stand on 17+, and double when you have 9, 10, or 11 against weak dealer upcards. The tricky zone is 12-16, where the answer depends on whether the dealer shows a weak card (2-6) or a strong one (7-A). For a full breakdown, see our basic strategy charts lesson.

Soft totals explained

A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11. Soft 17 (A-6) is very different from hard 17: you can't bust by hitting, so you should almost always take a card or double. The strategy for soft hands is more aggressive than most beginners expect. Soft 18 (A-7) is the trickiest: you stand against 2, 7, and 8, double against 3-6, and hit against 9, 10, and ace.

Pairs explained

When you're dealt a pair, you have the option to split. Basic strategy has clear rules: always split aces and eights, never split tens and fives. The logic behind splitting eights is that hard 16 is the worst hand in blackjack, and splitting gives you two chances to build a better hand from 8. Splitting aces gives you two shots at hitting 21.

Whether your table allows doubling after splitting (DAS) affects several pair decisions. With DAS, you split more aggressively because each split hand can be doubled if you get a favorable card. Toggle the DAS option in the chart to see exactly which pairs change.

Why rules matter

Not all blackjack tables are equal. The number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, and whether surrender is available all shift the house edge. A single-deck S17 game with DAS might have a house edge under 0.3%, while an 8-deck H17 game without surrender might sit above 0.6%.

The chart adjusts for these differences automatically. The most common rule variants and their effects on the edge are covered in detail in our house edge by rules guide.

Does basic strategy guarantee winning?

No. Basic strategy minimizes the house edge, but the house still has an edge. Over any short session, variance dominates: you can follow perfect strategy and still lose, or ignore it completely and get lucky. The advantage of basic strategy is purely mathematical: over thousands of hands, you'll lose less money than a player who doesn't follow it.

Players who want to go beyond basic strategy study card counting, which can shift the edge to the player's favor. But counting requires a separate skill set and doesn't work at all tables — our counting cards online guide explains why.

What should I learn next?

• Blackjack Explained: Full rules from scratch if you're brand new
• How Table Rules Change the Edge: The math behind each rule variant
• Perfect Strategy vs Basic: When composition-dependent play beats basic strategy
• Card Counting in Blackjack: How counting works and when it's worth learning
• Blackjack Strategy Course: The full structured course, lesson by lesson