Basic Strategy

Basic strategy is the foundation of all blackjack play. It's a set of rules that tells you the mathematically optimal play for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. By following basic strategy perfectly, you reduce the house edge from around 2% to just 0.5%.

The strategy is based on millions of computer simulations and takes into account the exact probabilities of every possible outcome. There's no guesswork involved. Every decision is backed by math.

The basic strategy chart covers three types of decisions: when to Hit/Stand, when to Double Down, and when to Split pairs. Each decision depends on your hand total (or pair) and the dealer's upcard.

Hard Hands (no Ace counted as 11): Always stand on 17+. Always hit on 8 or less. Double on 11 against dealer 2-10. Double on 10 against dealer 2-9. Stand on 12 against dealer 4-6, hit otherwise. Stand on 13-16 against dealer 2-6, hit otherwise.

Soft Hands (Ace counted as 11): Always stand on soft 19+. Double soft 13-17 against dealer 5-6. Hit soft 17 or less against dealer 7+.

Pairs: Always split Aces and 8s. Never split 10s or 5s. Split 2s, 3s, 6s, 7s against dealer 2-7. Split 4s against dealer 5-6. Split 9s against dealer 2-6 and 8-9.