Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart
Every decision in Blackjack has one best answer, and the whole set fits on three small tables. This is the standard chart for the rules CardCouch plays (six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, no surrender), generated from the same code that powers the in-game hint, so what you read here is exactly what the table will suggest.
Rule of thumb, if you remember nothing else
- Stand on hard 17 or more. Always hit hard 11 or less.
- Hard 12 to 16: stand if the dealer shows 2 to 6, hit against 7 or higher (12 hits against 2 and 3).
- Double hard 11 against anything but an Ace, hard 10 against 2 to 9, hard 9 against 3 to 6.
- Always split Aces and 8s. Never split 10s or 5s.
- Soft 18: stand against 2, 7 and 8; double against 3 to 6; hit against 9, 10 and Ace.
- Never take insurance or even money.
How to read the charts
Rows are your hand, columns are the dealer's up-card (A is an Ace). Check the pairs table first if you hold a pair, then the soft table if an Ace is counting 11, otherwise the hard table. H hit, S stand, D double (hit if doubling is not allowed, for instance with three cards), Ds double (stand if not allowed), Y split, N do not split, play the total instead.
| You | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17+ | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 16 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 15 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 14 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 13 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 12 | H | H | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 11 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H |
| 10 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H | H |
| 9 | H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| 8 or less | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| You | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A,9 (soft 20) | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| A,8 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| A,7 | S | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | S | S | H | H | H |
| A,6 | H | D | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| A,5 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| A,4 | H | H | D | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| A,3 | H | H | H | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| A,2 | H | H | H | D | D | H | H | H | H | H |
| You | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A,A | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 10,10 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| 9,9 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | N | N |
| 8,8 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| 7,7 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 6,6 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 5,5 | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| 4,4 | N | N | N | Y | Y | N | N | N | N | N |
| 3,3 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
| 2,2 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N | N | N |
Why the chart looks the way it does
Sixteen of every fifty-two cards count ten, so the dealer's hidden card is a ten almost a third of the time. A dealer showing 7 or higher therefore usually finishes with 17 or better, and you must improve a weak hand to compete. A dealer showing 4, 5 or 6 usually has 14 to 16 and is forced to draw, busting more than 40 percent of the time, so you stand on any stiff hand and let the dealer break. Doubling is for hands that are likely to end near 20 with one card (10 and 11), splitting is for pairs that play badly as a total (16 from two 8s) or make two strong starts (two Aces).
Insurance: the one bet to refuse every time
Insurance is offered when the dealer shows an Ace. You put up half your bet and are paid 2 to 1 if the hole card is a ten. For that to break even the hole card would have to be a ten one time in three; it is one time in about 3.25. Over 100 such bets of 12.5 chips you expect to win 31 and lose 69, a net loss of about 88 chips. Even money on your own Blackjack is exactly the same wager wearing a different name. Decline both, every time, regardless of how the last few hands went.
Bankroll sense for a play-money game
There is nothing real at stake on CardCouch, which makes it the right place to build the habits that matter with real chips: bet a fixed small fraction of your stack (25 of 1,000 is plenty), never chase a losing run by doubling the bet, and judge yourself by whether you followed the chart, not by whether the hand won. Turn the basic-strategy hint on for a session, then off, and see how often your instinct agrees with it. Once it always does, you know the chart.
Frequently asked questions
What is basic strategy in Blackjack?
The mathematically best action for every player hand against every dealer up-card, worked out by computer for a given rule set. Following it exactly cuts the house edge to about half a percent with the rules used here. It does not require counting cards or remembering anything about past hands.
Why should I never take insurance?
Insurance pays 2 to 1, but the dealer's hole card is a ten only about 31 percent of the time (16 of the 52 card values), so you would need it to be a ten more than 33 percent of the time to break even. Over many hands the bet loses about 7 percent of what you put on it. Even money on your own Blackjack is the same bet in disguise.
Why stand on hard 16 against a 6 but hit it against a 7?
Against a 6 the dealer is very likely to draw again and bust (roughly 42 percent), so you let the dealer take the risk. Against a 7 the dealer makes 17 or better most of the time, so your 16 loses unless you improve it, and hitting, though it busts often, loses less over the long run.
Does the chart change for one deck or if the dealer hits soft 17?
Slightly. With the dealer hitting soft 17 you double a few more soft hands and hard 11 against an Ace; with a single deck you double more often. The chart here is the standard one for CardCouch's rules: six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed, no surrender.
Is basic strategy enough to win?
It makes you lose as slowly as possible; with these rules the dealer still keeps about half a percent of what you bet over the long run. Only card counting turns the edge, and that needs a real shoe and a real table. On CardCouch it is play money, so the chart is simply the best way to play well.